Crossing Hairs
by Ranranami
Summary: Allain Duprey is an 11 year old Slytherin boy, who dreams of becoming the greatest Transfiguration Student of all! His life is turned upside down after following his friend into the Forbidden Forest, and being attacked by a...a...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Allain surveyed himself in the mirror, more than a little unhappy with his appearance. As far as anyone could tell, he was a decidedly dark-ish figure. His short hair, trimmed precisely under his ears, could best be described as tar-black. No light reflected off of it's course curls. His eyes were dark brown, like mahogany. As for his nose…well, it was aquiline in polite terms. Large as a beak in more realistic terms. Scrawny and hunched, Allain was not a dashing boy. Though he may have been only eleven (and a half), he had the unpleasant grimace of an aging wizard. Maybe it was because his mother felt the need to stab his rear repeatedly with a needle as she tucked and hemmed his robes.

"OUCH!" He cried out, looking down at the woman. Quite the opposite of her son, she had long falls of dirty blonde hair intermingled with specks of premature gray. Mrs. Emmegine Duprey, the owner of Diagon Alley's most popular enchanted flower shop. A beauty in her day, the only things she seemed to share with her son were her eyes and her current grimace.

"Don't you yell at me!" She squawked, smacking his back.

"Well, you keep poking me with that stupid needle!"

"Because you won't stand still!"

"You've been sewing this thing for over an hour! I'm not a statue…"

"And you're not very patient either. Quality materials take time…"

"Why couldn't we go to a robe shop for this?"

"Because these were your father's robes, and your grandfather's robes, and so on…"

"That would make them antiques…do you really want these fine examples of fashion history destroyed by the wears and tears of an active boy at school?" Allain asked hopefully, fantasizing about a new wardrobe. It wasn't as if his family didn't have any money. They lived very comfortably. But his parents were also quite against wasting even a single knut. So, despite the fact that he was an only child…he got hand-me-downs from older relatives. Despite the fact that they could afford new books, he was encouraged to buy them used. Despite the fact that they'd promised to buy him a Firehawk 205 last year if he got into Hogwarts…they didn't. Apparently he was too young…and after his last broom incident, even the thought of seeing him more than five feet in the air terrified his poor mother. Understandable, considering the property damage he'd caused. But that's another story altogether…

"Okay…done! Voila! C'est magnifique!" Allain's mother patted him and snapped her fingers. The needle disappeared, along with the robe. He was left standing in his old ratty robe, because his mother didn't want the 'wears and tears' he'd mentioned being caused before school even started.

"Can I go now, mum?" Allain pleaded, stepping off of the stool and reaching for his satchel on the ground. They lived in an apartment directly above the flower shop, and the various smells had seeped into their belongings as a result. Including his bag, and all of his clothes. He'd been made fun of it before, but shrugged the insults away. Allain wasn't really sociable, or affected by animosity. His theory was that ignoring rude behavior was far more productive…and that belief had served him well over the years.

"Yes, yes…fine." She waved him out of the door.

"But remember, you've only got an hour before your father gets home to take you to the train station!" She called after her son, doubting he was even paying attention. Honestly, sometimes she felt that boy lived in a world of his own. If only he had friends, he wouldn't be so…odd.

As Allain ran outside, into the sweltering streets of Diagon Alley…he took a deep breath. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a golden galleon. It was very shiny, he observed. Far shinier than the normal galleon (though he didn't see them too often to judge.) It was supposed to be emergency money, but this seemed like an emergency enough to him. He _was _going to become the best student the Transfiguration professor would ever see. But first…he needed the right book to do his _own_ studying on the subject...

He should have been paying attention to the time. But fifty-five minutes later, Allain still couldn't decide on the right book. He knew his money was substantial enough to buy anything the bookshop owner deemed too 'adult' for him. The oily old man had proven time and again that he worshipped cash far more than moral restraint. If he did, he wouldn't have fleeced Allain every time the boy came into any cash. And it wasn't as if Allain's mother hadn't warned him time and again to be wiser about what he spent his money on. His room was already far too full of books as it was.

Becoming discouraged with the apparent lack of transfiguration books in the shop, Allain came close to leaving the store then and there. But then he saw it. Tucked away at the bottom of a shelf, covered with dust, and about as thick as a sickel…a tiny red book. Leaning down, he snatched it up. It didn't look like much…but he was compelled to buy it anyway. Perhaps it was the distinct desire to buy _something_. Without even reading the title, he rushed over to the counter and placed it in front of the shopkeeper.

"I've made my choice, Grimes."

"Mr. Grimes, young man."

"Mr. Grimes. Whatever. Sell it to me."

"You've become very rude lately."

"Maybe it's because you keep ratting me out to my mum every time I buy something."

"Well, no matter. You can't buy this. It's part of my private collection, and I don't even know how it got out here."

At that, Allain snatched the galleon from his pocket and slapped it into Grimes' hand.

"Take it all. I want this book."

Grimes stared at the golden bit of art. It was quite beautiful…definitely worth more than half of his 'private collection'…

"Nope. Can't take it." Grimes shook his head.

"This book is too dangerous for someone your age." He continued.

"What do you mean?" Allain asked, looking down at the book. Now that he got a good look at it, he noted the title. _Transfiguration._ Well that was a bloody boring title! It certainly didn't look dangerous either, with it's ratty-looking pages and cracked binding…how could such a small book be so badly-worn?

"I want it, Mr. Grimes. I won't take no for an answer."

"You'll have to." Grimes frowned, grabbing the book. Allain reached forward with a very determined scowl and held onto it.

"Please?" He asked, though his plea was in no way very pleasant-sounding.

"**No, **Allain."

"You're the worst uncle ever!"

"And you're an overgrown baby! Now get out of my shop, this instant, before I tell your mother!" Mr. Grimes pulled the book away and slammed it down on the counter.

Allain could see he had lost…and so he reluctantly nodded ascent. That was when another customer came into the store and distracted Uncle Grimes from his somewhat pouty nephew. Just distracted enough not to notice Allain slip the book under his sleeve and leave the galleon on the counter. Rushing out the door, the boy felt quite proud of his treasure. Even if he knew he'd probably regret it later when his mum and dad found out…

He did get grouched at a bit for being ten minutes late at home, but his father didn't have too much time to work up too much of a temper. They had to leave. His son had inherited his looks, and his bad moods. But Mr. Duprey was far more of an adult than Allain…with good reason…considering the fact that he _was _an adult. Standing at 6'5, no one would mistake him for anything other than substantial. Allain feared the day when he inherited his father's height too…being of the sort to avoid any attention unless absolutely necessary.

The car ride to the train station was eerily quiet. Did he know? Allain shook his head, of course his dad was completely unaware of his guilty secret. Otherwise he'd be forced to hand the book over, and no book had been mentioned yet. How could he know, anyway? They'd left immediately after he returned home from the shop.

But guilt tends to stick with people who perform dishonest actions when they aren't used to it. And Allain had never stolen before. So when they arrived at the station, he looked decidedly clammy.

"Are you okay?" Allain's father asked, patting him on the shoulder as they approached the platforms. Perhaps he shouldn't have yelled at the boy so. He was only eleven, after all. They were twenty minutes early, anyway…

"I'm fine!" Allain jumped, shrugging his father away and gripping his luggage tightly.

"Okay, then…" Mr. Duprey replied, unconvinced. If Allain didn't want to talk about it, very well. But he hated the idea of leaving his son for several months on such a bad note.

"Listen, son…" He bent down and hugged Allain.

"I know you don't shirk your responsibilities. And you're certainly punctual for the most part. I guess it's okay to be late for things once in awhile. But I was worried about you! How was I to know that you weren't kidnapped by a group of evil wizards bent on taking over the world?"

Allain looked at his melodramatic parental figure. He simply…looked.

"Okay, far-fetched. I know. But you have such a poor sense of direction, and I swear…sometimes I think you'd run off with any stranger who offered you candy-"

"_DAAAD!" _Allain groaned, pushing his father away.

"I've got to go!" He insisted stepping away to give his father some distance. Maybe the reason he didn't have any friends was because his parents obsessively smothered him…

"Okay…did you pack your toothbrush?"

"Yes."

"Your wand?"

"Yes."

"Underwear?"

"No."

"WHAT?"

"YES! GOOD-BYE!" Allain took off through the invisible barrier between nine and ten. If he didn't leave now, he'd probably never leave.

By the time he'd gotten onto the train, Allain was exhausted. Normal people had luggage with wheels. But not him. Nope. Some old clap-trap with rotting leather handles. He'd almost dropped it twice while he was standing in the line. And all of the compartments seemed to be filled. Why was this day turning out to be so rotten? …Probably because he'd taken that book. Maybe he'd mail it back when he got to school. Yeah…that would be a good idea.

He was so pre-occupied with his thoughts, that he didn't even notice he was standing in an empty compartment until someone far behind him shouted out to a friend. Sighing, Allain shoved his luggage into a compartment above one of the cushy leather seats and dropped down. He was absolutely _exhausted!_ But that was when a girl decided to interrupt his peace and quiet, by barging into the compartment to bug him…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hello there," the girl chirped, her high voice sending a wave of displeasure through Allain's body.

"Hi," he replied, not even trying to hide his feelings, before turning to look outside the window.

The girl's brown eyes bounced around the compartment, taking note of how many seats were available.

"Perfect!" she said out loud to herself.

She left the compartment, giving Allain a fleeting moment of hope that she would not return. He wasn't sure how long this train ride would actually take, but knew Hogwarts was quite a ways north. More then 15 minutes of her voice, and he'd be wishing his parents had found out about the book, and grounded him from Hogwarts.

"I found a seat for us all!" he heard her shout outside the train, followed by the screams and giggles of a flock of girls. Allain quickly jumped up, grabbed his satchel, and left the compartment.

As he entered the next car he could hear the girl complaining he had left. Was she the leader of a Satanic Cult, hoping to sacrifice an innocent first year?

'There's that imagination again,' his mothers voice echoed in his mind, 'always thinking about the most ridiculous things!'

Maybe it was true. Allain liked to think up all sorts of things. Once he saw two customers outside his mother's shop. The shorter of the two was a wizard with dark hair, his robes of violet reaching far past where his feet met the floor. The other was a grotesquely tall witch with auburn hair that pointed in every direction, giving her the appearance of a tree in the fall. Allain watched as they exchanged good-byes with a handshake, noticing a note passed from the woman to the man. What did it say? Who were these people? The ideas he came up with fascinated him for weeks!

Allain reached a quiet car, and chose the compartment second to the left, marked with an engraved 'J' on a small golden plate above the door. Once settled inside he pulled out the thin red book and gazed at the cover.

"Transfiguration," he said, his voice monotone. What a boring title. It didn't even have the authors name on the book! The witch or wizard who wrote this must have been the most boring person to ever walk the earth! Allain opened the cover, greeted by two blank pages. He sighed and turned the page. Finally, something to read.

"Dedicated to those who wish to learn Transfiguration." Allain read aloud.

He paused and looked around, expecting some sort of magical wave of power.

Just then, the compartment door flew open, causing Allain to jump, the book sliding onto the floor.

"Sorry!" a young girl shouted before falling to her knees to retrieve the book, "I didn't mean to scare you, yea?"

"That's fine," Allain grasped the book tightly to his chest without meeting her eyes.

"You okay?" she asked, learning into his face and tilting her head.

"Fine, I'm fine," Allain spoke sternly, still refusing to meet her eyes.

The girl sniffed, and then sniffed again. Allain's face flushed .

"Is that you?" she asked, the sweet smell of lilies flooding her nose.

"My mom owns a flower shop," Allain mumbled, mortified that a girl was sniffing him.

"Blinkus Bogus Blax? In Diagon Alley?" she asked happily.

"That's the one," he replied.

"I bought this there today!" she exclaimed, stepping back and pointed at her head.

Allain, somewhat curious, took a quick glance towards her, followed by another.

She had a small blue flower in her strawberry blonde hair. Allain noticed, for the first time, that it matched her eyes, which were oddly close together, giving her a strange appearance. It didn't help that she was quite tall for her age.

"Your mom was so nice," she told him, as she put her bag in the shelf above the seats.

Allain was not interested in carrying on a conversation with this girl. A noise of agreement escaped his throat, and he, once again, opened his book. His eyes looked over the dedication once again, this time with annoyance. This wizard was really trying to prove to the world how boring he was. Maybe Allain was wrong about this book. He turned the page, expecting more disappointment from this nameless wizard, but instead found the start of a chapter. Finally, something good. He began to read.

Chapter One - The History of Transfiguration

The first documented Transfiguration spell was performed by Helga Von Priffybottoms in 259A.D.. Von Priffybottoms, at the age of 101, was the first witch to transform a candle, into a book, which had many people confused, as without the candle, how could you read the book? The candle has since been on display in the Historical Moments in Magic Museum, located in London.

Allain blinked the tears from his eyes. He had successfully made it through the first paragraph of the book, without falling asleep. He deserved an award. He hoped, desperately, that the professor at Hogwarts was, for one thing, not the author of this book, and, taught Transfiguration with more enthusiasm.

Allain looked up at the girl, who, up until that point, had been sitting quietly. She noticed Allain had stopped reading and smiled. He tried to get back to reading but it was too late.

"Train should be leaving soon, yea? I'm a first year! What about you?" she exploded. Allain grimaced.

"I'm a first year too." he sighed.

Suddenly the train jerked beneath them. They were finally on their way to Hogwarts.

"Mum!" she shouted, and jumped up, opening the window and shoving the upper half of her body out, "Mum! Mum, where are you?"

Allain looked out onto the platform and saw the parents of students waving their goodbyes, and shouting out last minute reminders to their children. Good thing he was early, and got all that out of the way. He noticed a woman pushing her way through the crowd, her blond and grey hair tucked neatly under her hat.

"Melody, my dear! I thought you'd forgotten me already!" she shouted out.

"Sorry! I was just talking with my new friend!" the girl sitting across from his shouted back. Was she talking about him?

"That's my girl!" the woman huffed, starting to run as the train picked up speed, "We're so proud of you dear!"

"I know Mum! See you at Christmas! Don't forget about my new broom, yea?" Melody was leaning further and further out the window.

"Have a good term! We love you!" her mother waved, as she reached the end of the Platform.

Melody climbed back into the compartment and settling back into her seat. Allain, not wanting to instigate another conversation, quickly tucked his nose back into his boring book.

"First time away from home." Melody sniffed, "I'm scared."

Allain gulped. First, she referred to him as a friend, and now, she was opening up to him. This was going to be a problem. Maybe he should have stuck with the Satanic Cult.

"I…need to use the bathroom." Allain said, standing up and putting the book onto the shelf above. Before he could exit the compartment, the door was blocked by a giant pink curtain. It took Allain a moment to realize he was staring right into the rear end of the woman who brings the trolley around.

"Excuse me!" she giggled, "Anything from the trolley? I've got Cockroach Clusters, Jelly Slugs, and Fudge Flies!"

"None of that sounds delicious at all," Allain muttered.

"You're telling me," the Trolley Lady agreed, her hand on her voluptuous hip.

"I'll have a Chocolate Frog," Melody spoke up behind him.

She rose from her seat, and removed her purse from her bag. She smiled funny at Allain as she moved past him. Allain noticed what she had; how much shorter he was than her. She removed her wallet, and handed the lady a coin. She thanked the lady after receiving her sweet, and returned to her seat.

"Anything for you, young man?" the woman asked.

"No thanks," Allain replied. She left them, closing the compartment door behind her.

"Do you…collect…" Allain turned towards Melody.

She looked at him oddly, the frog sticking in half-way into her mouth, kicking and squirming. Was he starting up a conversation? After taking a bite, thus removing the enchantment from the frog, she smiled at him.

"I do," she beamed, "Do you?"

"Actually, I do," Allain replied, his mouth twisting into a faint smile. "My mum said I should bring them with me…in case I-"

"Mine too!" Melody shouted excitedly, jumping up and pulling a small box from her bag. Allain did the same, pulling out a small bag.

"You didn't go to the bathroom yet," Melody noticed, as the two sat comparing their collections of Famous Wizard Cards.

"Oh, yeah," remembered Allain, "I don't need to go anymore."

Melody looked at him suspiciously, then held a card up to her face. She turned it around to Allain, revealing it to be Mirabella Plunkett, the woman who transformed herself into a haddock in order to live a life at sea with her Merman lover.

Allain smiled and pulled out two of the same card.

"Sorry. Try again." Allain said smugly.

Melody pursed her lips. This continued for most of the train ride. Neither child wanted to give up their most valuable cards.

The last time Allain looked up, he realized how dark it was outside. Some one opened the compartment door and stuck his head in.

"Pulling into the station," he told them before moving on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Huge clouds of black smoke billowed into the night sky, obscuring the glinting forms of various stars. The train had finally reached it's destination, by the sound of it's screeching wheels. By this time, both Melody and Allain had already changed into their school robes.

Since they were so far back in the train, they had a very long wait before it was their turn to exit. And by then, huge masses of students were huddled together, mumbling. Nearby, a chatty young man piped up to his friends.

"I wish I could write my name with this smoke…but it doesn't last long. You know, if you move a jar of fireflies quick enough, it looks like the light is frozen in the air…so you can write an entire sentence before it fades if you manage to finish it in three seconds…" He had bleach blonde hair, and a very strange accent. Allain couldn't determine whether it was German or Swedish. But it had to be one of the two. He wasn't an expert on languages, so he had no idea.

"Did you read that in a book?" Melody asked, tapping the boy onf the shoulder. Allain was slightly surprised. Did this girl socialize with everyone within three feet of her?

The boy turned around and smiled.

"No! I just love to catching the fireflies."

"That's 'to catch', Mishael." A short, raven-haired girl nudged the boy. He shrugged, turning back away from Melody and tittering a bit.

Melody cast a glance at Allain and smiled wistfully, rubbing her hands together. It was a very cold night. And dark, too. What were they supposed to do now?

"I'd like to catch fireflies some night…" She said, looking around. There were none that either of them could see.

"You can't." Allain shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Curfew. Can't leave the building at night…I don't even know if you can leave the building without supervision."

"That doesn't sound very fun…"

"This is a _school. _What do you expect?"

"I assumed a magic school would be a bit more exciting." She paused, before breaking out into a grin. As much as Allain desperately wanted to hate, even dislike this girl…she had the annoying habit of charming his bad mood away. He'd have to keep his distance from this one.

"I think most magic is pretty boring." He crossed his arms, looking around. The other students were beginning to shuffle around, becoming restless.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Melody squawked, before looking around to notice several pairs of eyes on her. She blushed, slightly.

"_How can you say that_?" She whispered, in a far more controlled manner.

"How can you _not _think most magic is boring?"

"…I don't know. I just don't. I haven't seen much of it…" Melody looked down at her feet.

"Are you muggle-born?" Allain asked, surprised.

"No. But I live with my grandmother and my mum. And…Mum's really bad at magic. I mean _really _bad. So, my grandmother…well…she doesn't let us use magic in the house. That's all."

"…" Allain stared at her for a very long time, trying to figure out whether or not she was lying. How on earth could a person live without magic in their daily life? It seemed positively ridiculous! But finally, his thoughts began to form absolute eloquence. Poetry in words, which could describe poor Melody's situation in perfect detail…

"That…sucks."

But before Melody could respond, a bobbing lantern appeared out of the darkness ahead of them. The students became silent, huddling even closer together. The first years, for the most part, appeared terrified. The rest of them: very, very bored.

"_It's about time he showed up_." A nearby boy with mousy brown hair and the first sprouts of a moustache on his upper lip whispered nearby.

"_Makes us wait like this every time. As if it's an HONOR to be escorted to school…"_ Another student responded. This one was a girl with bright red curls, and could only be described as…enormous. Possibly as big as the trolley lady.

Soon, the bearer of the bobbing lamp became visible. He resembled a large owl, with great big gray eyes that practically popped out under two bushy eyebrows, and a tightly-bound gray ponytail that could do with some washing. His arms were meaty, and the rest of him was pretty much the same. Allain pondered whether this man had ever taken up professional lumberjacking…

"First years, over here. Follow me…That's first years, Mr. Langley. I don't care if you thought it was funny last year, or the year before, or even the year before, this is first years only…" The man grumped.

As Allain, Melody, and a fair portion of the group did as they were directed, the man took off at a brisk jog. This caused some difficulties for most of them, being unable to see more than a few inches in front of their own noses. Allain stumbled a few times, and found that it was fairly obvious this gruff Billy goat of a man had little patience for stragglers.

They followed a thin path down a steep hill. It was dark, cold, and…long.

"Hey! Stop pushing!" "You!" "What is wrong with you?" "Chivalry is so dead!" "Hey, that hurt!" "You're a real jerk, you know that?" A chorus of cries echoed behind Allain, and before he knew it…he was being shoved to the side.

"GET OUT OF THE-" Before the pudgy jerk could finish his sentence, Allain lashed out and punched him square in the jaw. Unfortunately, he didn't know that much about self-defense, or fighting for that matter…so ten minutes later, when that Mishael fellow and Melody helped him stumble down the pathway…Allain learned a lesson in thinking before he acted.

The man who lead the first years down the path piped up above the crowd.

"Four people per boat. If you don't follow that rule, I swear to you that your boat will capsize…and I doubt I need to mention the giant squid…or the fact that I can not swim, so I will not be saving anyone who disobeys. Am I clear?" He was answered by a resounding yes…not really in unison, but like a wave echoing throughout the group.

As Melody and Allain got into the same boat with two other students, Melody patted him on the shoulder.

"Are you okay? For a moment there I thought you were dead after that bully rammed you."

"I'm fine." Allain shrugged her away. He just knew he was going to have a black eye in the morning. Why did he do something so…stupid? He'd _never _punched anyone in his life!

"Hey, I helped drag you down here. So don't treat me as if I had something to do with that little hissy fit you threw back there!"

"I didn't say you did."

"Then act like it!" Melody glared at him, crossing her arms. Allain sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry."

"You bet you're sorry!" They were silent for a time. But then, when both of them jumped at the sound of a huge splash in the water, they began to break into laughter.

"SHUT UP BACK THERE!" The gray-haired owl-man yelled at them. Allain and Melody grew silent again.

Melody looked up at the sky. It was almost a full moon.

"Hey, Allain…you remember earlier when we were talking about fireflies?"

"…Yes?"

"And not being aloud to leave the building at night?"

"…"

"You remember, don't you?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Well, it's pretty bright out tonight. There should be plenty of light to catch-"

"No."

"What? Where's your sense of-"

"NO."

"…You're no fun." Melody looked away. It was obvious that someone would have to keep an eye on her this year, or she'd get herself into no end of trouble. On the one hand, Allain didn't want to get involved. On the other, if she was in his house…he didn't even want to think about all of the house points on the line…

"Hey, look at that!" Someone whistled, standing up in his boat.

"Sit down, John! You'll knock us into the water!"

"BUT LOOK!"

Up ahead was a grand castle with countless (and needlessly excessive) pointed turrets. Even from a distance, it was massive.

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT STANDING?" Called the man up ahead, who sounded even angrier than he gave everyone the impression he already was.

The spires of the castle reached high into the sky, like twisted black fingers, knobby and thin. Some squat and fat. Allain was quite impressed.

Suddenly, Allain found himself spitting out bits of greenery as trails of ivy vines poured over their boat and they floated through an unexpected tunnel. Melody giggled, watching him with amusement. Allain had been focused so much on the castle, that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going…

When they finally reached the shore, there was yet another blasted path to walk. Would this never end? Were they on a quest to throw a ring into a volcano, or something even more spectacularly ridiculous?

As they approached the large oak doors of Hogwarts, everyone seemed to release a cloud of tension that had been following them from the train ride. They'd get dinner, they'd get rest, and they'd get to escape from that gruff-looking group leader (hopefully.)

"Well, it's been rather interesting…never have I heard so much complaining in my life, which just goes to show how horribly lazy this generation is…but it's time for you lot to meet the rest of the staff…and have a meal I doubt any of you deserve…" The man banged on the doors…

"Welcome to Hogwarts." He mumbled.

"Is this the lot then?" Inquired a tiny woman with very gnome-like features. Her robes were excessively long, but looked far newer than Allain's. She probably didn't have issues with spending money when it needed to be spent…Her long white hair was pulled back into a tight braid, over a pair of rather larger than normal ears. She had a very deep-set wrinkled brow, and looked as if she'd spent the last hour sucking on a rather sour lemon.

"Yes, Professor Litkin. That's all of them, as far as I could tell. A few stragglers might have gotten lost on the way, but I'm sure they'll turn up in the morning." Remarked the gruff leader of the first years. He looked at them and nodded his head somewhat stiffly before leaving them in the entrance hall to be dealt with by Professor Litkin.

Melody nudged Allain's elbow.

"Do you think he was joking?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I doubt it," Allain responded with more than a little sense of unease about that man.

"Good evening, first years. I am Professor Litkin. I teach Herbology, and I am also the head of Gryffindor house. You will find that there are four houses at Hogwarts. Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff. I'll lead you to the great hall, where your house will be determined by a dusty old hat in desperate need of re-blocking…" She chuckled, smiling warmly at the students. She was much friendlier than the man who had brought them there.

"That fellow who lead you, by the way…was Professor Frump. It suits him, doesn't it? But don't worry, he isn't as horribly dark as he seems…once you get to know him. You'll find in a few years time, that you'll have the option of taking his class. It's been tradition for quite a few years that the gamekeeper is also the professor for the care of magical creatures…which makes sense. At any rate, that's neither here nor there…"

"She certainly is a chatty one," said Melody with a very cheerful smile. Any distaste that might have been held for Frump by the majority of the first years was immediately abandoned when confronted with this ray of sunshine.

"Ah, where was I….ah yes, sorting. After you have been placed in the appropriate house, you'll be lead to your tables…and when everyone is all set…a nice little feast will be served, and you'll receive a speech from Headmistress Emerald. Now, each house is renowned for producing the finest witches and wizards the world over. Rather, in the muggle world…you might call Hogwarts an 'ivy league' school…or something similar. I'm not really familiar with their terms there. When you disobey or break rules, your house will lose points…and when you do something incredibly well, or show outstanding behavior…your house is awarded points. It's very simple, and at the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the house cup. If you have elder siblings who've attended Hogwarts, you'll realize what a fantastic achievement that is. Any questions? No? Good. Now follow me…" Professor Litkin spun about in a twirl of black fabric, and was shuffling away.

Though others moved and shoved past Allain, he stood in the entry hall for a few minutes longer…allowing his eyes to get a good look at everything.

Torches lined the walls in such great numbers, that the light provided was as effective as electricity. He'd always liked the look of torches, but found that muggle lamps provided a more solid and steady source than fire. Yet here, it suited the flagged stone floors and black stone walls of the vast entry.

"Allain, are you coming?" Melody called from up ahead.

"Yeah, hold on!" Allain rushed forward, re-joining the throng.

Ten minutes later, they had finally reached the great hall.

The great hall was vastly different than the entryway. For one thing, it was much larger…and for another…it didn't appear to have a roof…just an open space directly above their heads….thousands of stars twinkled in an inky black sky…yet the darkness was counter-acted by many more candles which floated directly above their heads. Allain had seen a lot of expensive buildings, places, spells…but he had yet to enter a facility which felt confident enough to go without roofing…

"It's a spell. There's a ceiling, it just looks like there isn't…" A nearby boy whispered. He was tall, gangly…and skittish-looking.

"I read all about this place…I've been wanting to go here since I was five…" He whispered, beaming wildly. He wasn't talking to Allain, just himself…what an oddball.

"Students, please…form a line…this will all be a lot easier if we are in order!" Called Professor Litkin from ahead.

"You will all be called individually by name, so keep smart…you don't want to be embarrassed and get called twice!"

As she spoke, Allain only vaguely caught what she was saying. There was a good deal of shuffling before everyone was aligned…and now he even got a better look at the rest of the place. Tables lined the walls and a good deal of the great hall, leaving rows for moving about freely. Not only that, but it appeared that all non-first years had taken their seats and were looking ahead expectantly. He followed their gazes to a table in the very front of the great hall which was lined with adults. The professors, no doubt…he could see Frump and Litkin standing side-by-side. As he allowed his gaze to slide along the table, a stool was carried out by a non-descript house elf and soon after, an old hat was placed upon it…wow, it really did need re-blocking.

A hush fell over the crowd…and suddenly…the hat began to…speak?

"_It isn't very easy to tell my fancy tale_

_And re-craft all these words in a general spell._

_But if you listen closely, you will get to hear_

_A story of woe and a story of cheer._

_There were four friends who did not see_

_That they would ever cease to be_

_Until one day they clashed in mind_

_For they saw their school should only find:_

_For Slytherin, none but the purebloods worked. _

_The cunning, the sly, and most ambitious._

_Yet Gryffindor wanted the bravest, yes._

_Bold, daring, chivalrous._

_And Ravenclaw, the clever, the bright,_

_The sharp of mind._

_For Hufflepuff, dear Hufflepuff,_

_She wished for all. But honor and trust_

_Should not be small._

_And so today you find me here,_

_To choose and sort you in your year."_

"Well, I've heard better…" Allain heard a nearby boy at one of the tables chortle.

"The hat is losing it…" Replied a weasel-ly looking girl beside him. Allain shrugged. The song was okay, but the deep-voice hat wasn't really on-key…

A general clapping rang throughout the great hall as the song was completed, and suddenly he felt horribly nervous. When Allain had first received his letter from Hogwarts, he'd been overjoyed. And had gradually gotten bored with the news. He thought it didn't much matter what house he ended up in, as long as he got to take a transfiguration class. But now that he got a good look at all of these people he would be…living with…he desperately hoped he wouldn't end up in Slytherin. Most of them seemed to have big noses just like him…

Professor Litkin walked around the table to stand beside the sorting hat. She had a long roll of parchment in one hand, and a pair of reading glasses in the other.

"Come come, quiet down now…" She called, clapping the bottoms of her palms together. She couldn't necessarily clap her hands flat, with the parchment and glasses.

Gradually the hall fell silent, and she continued to speak.

"I will call out your name, and you will come forward. Then I'll put the sorting hat on your head, and you'll be sorted. It's as simple as that. I think I went over a bit of this earlier…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Alexander, Terrance," Litkin called, looking up from the parchment in her small, aged hands.

The boy next to Mishael stepped up, took his seat on the stool, and looked nervously around the Great Hall. All eyes were on him.

Professor Litkin placed the Sorting Hat atop his head. Even through the silence, Allain couldn't hear what the hat was saying, at least not until it shouted "Hufflepuff!"

The table on the far side of the Hall erupted in applaud. They echoed off the stone walls, lasting far longer then they should have.

"Duprey, Allain." Litkin called out, before the noise died down.

Allain pushed through the group of children, as he was standing all the way in the back. He felt a hand pat his back as he walked past Melody. He knew she was smiling, but he didn't look back. It might have hurt her feelings, but that didn't cross his mind. As he took his seat on the stool, he glanced over at the Hawked-Nose students staring at him from Slytherin. They were smiling, as if they knew something he didn't. He gulped as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"Ah…You've got just the right sized head." it whispered into Allain's ear.

"…Thank you?" Allain whispered back.

"My, my, quite the knack for chess," it whispered. How did it know that? "And what is this? …Is that how you feel about responsibility?"

"That's none of your business!" Allain spoke back, causing Litkin to look at him, annoyed.

"Quite snappy too," the Sorting Hat chuckled, "I know where to put you."

Allain gulped. He had never thought of himself as snappy, or irresponsible, and those sounded like the traits of…

"Slytherin!" the Hat shouted, causing the table on the opposite end of the Hufflepuff table to erupt into applause.

Litkin removed the hat from his head, and gave him a little push off the stool.

His head hung heavily as he walked towards the table. He was now part of the Big Nose Club. What joy.

"Finch, Melody," the Gnome's voice called out.

Allain settled in his seat and looked up as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"She looks like a nerd…Ravenclaw for sure." a beady-eyed girl spoke a few seats down from him.

"No way. She looks too _innocent_. Hufflepuff, I bet." a boy whispered back.

Allain realized why they were smiling at him. They had all bet he was going to be in Slytherin, and they were right.

"Gryffindor!" shouted the Sorting Hat.

The same excitement filled the Great Hall, this time from the Gryffindor table. Allain felt a little sad that his new acquaintance wasn't in his house, but guessed her small round nose didn't quite fill the requirements.

Litkin called out another name, followed by more applause, and continued to do so until the 28 First Years had been sorted. 8 in Slytherin and Hufflepuff, and 6 in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

"Hello students!" a tall slender woman said, approaching a golden owl-sculpted podium, "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! For many of you, this is our first meeting, and for the rest, well, thanks to my horrible memory, it's like we've never met at all! I am Headmistress Emerald."

She wasn't an old woman, at least by muggle means. Her hair was a short black bob, and far shinier than normal hair should be. Her pointed hat, and her flowing robes of satin matched her last name to a tee. Emerald as emerald could be, etched with gold lining. A braided rope of gold thread was wrapped loosely around her waist.

"…It is so wonderful to be starting another year! I must inform you, however…that the forbidden forest is completely off limits. If you are unsure as to the location of the forbidden forest, it is the forest outside. There is no other forest…except for…the forbidden one. So it will be difficult to miss. And…it's forbidden. Also, please do not upset Professor Frump, or sneak out to his cabin late at night for counseling or guidance. He is not your friend, and he is not a psychiatrist. Thank you…now eat, and enjoy."

Allain looked at his fellow Slytherins. They were smirking. All of them. They liked this woman, why, Allain couldn't tell.

"Let's have a good year!" she concluded, snapping her fingers, and the feast began.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hey, are you gonna eat that?" A weasel-ly girl asked Allain, poking him in the ribs. He jolted to attention and looked down…the table was filled with food. It must have magically appeared when he was looking up…literally. She was referring to a small dish of sweet potatoes near his elbow. He shook his head.

"No, they're all yours…" He passed her the dish and she grinned, revealing a bit of green stuff in her front tooth. It was either spinach or fungus. Allain couldn't tell…

"Thanks, mate. We Slytherins…we've got to stick together! All those mud bloods in the other houses, they're the reason we have to be sorted into houses in the first place. A fat lot of bureaucracy, just because they don't know their place." Allain wasn't inclined to agree with her statement, but he noticed a good deal of people at the table nodding their heads. He decided it best to remain quiet about his opinions for the time being. It was one thing to be anti-social at a normal school, quite another when you considered the fact that you had to live and eat with your classmates.

"Lindsey's got a point, Duprey. Stick with us, and none of those fools will bother you," one of the older boys across the table intoned, slathering half of a gravy boat all over a slice of pumpernickel bread. He was tall, thin, brunette, and somewhat intimidating. Obviously someone who was used to getting his way, Allain judged.

"Yeah, sure…" He replied absent-mindedly.

And that was when another boy, even older than the brunette began to bang a spoon against his glass to grab everyone's attention. He was thin, lanky…his hair black was already thinning, yet he only looked to be seventeen or so.

"Listen, kids…we don't need your lot creating trouble. Sure…Slytherins may be better than Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs…" He was greeted by cheers.

"BUT, and I say this as a warning…BUT we have to get along with them. It'll make your year go by quicker if you just ignore them when you pass one in the hallways, that way there won't be in any trouble. After all, that's what you would do in the real world." He paused.

"That isn't to say we can't still give 'em a hard time without 'em knowing, eh?" There was even more laughter and clapping from the table. What had Allain gotten himself into?

"Don't mind him, Allain…he's just Andrew…he's head boy. And he'll probably be ordering you around constantly. Just because he has a bit of authority, he thinks he's better than us. But we know better, don't we?" The brunette winked knowingly at Allain, who just rolled his eyes and leaned against his right arm. Hey, were those pumpkin tarts? Oh, he absolutely adored pumpkin tarts! Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all?

"So, who are all of those professors at the table? What to they teach? Who's the head of our house?" Allain heard a girl beside Andrew ask. She was rather mousy, and unimposing…but he was curious too, who was the head of their house?

Before Andrew could respond through a mouthful of peppermint-flavored spaghetti squash, the brunette took over and indicated the professors individually.

"You're a first year, so you've already met Frump. Then there's Litkin, head of Gryffindor…she teaches Herbollogy, but she's not very good if you ask me. Every other week, there's an accident in one of her classes. I don't know why they keep her on. And that fat man beside her with the twitching eye is Professor Ringwald…he's head of Ravenclaw, and teaches Charms. As far as mixed bloods go, he's okay. But I'm sure if he were pureblood, he'd be far better. And then there's Professor Midges, head of Hufflepuff…the skittish blonde woman with the coke-bottle lens glasses. Yeah, her. She teaches Transfiguration. And the head of Slytherin, that brunette right by Midges…his name is Graves…he's the potions professor too. It's pretty consistent, I don't think there's ever been a Slytherin head who wasn't the potions professor. I guess we purebloods are naturally inclined towards the science. And the frizzy-haired nightmare, her name is Jekyll…she's the Astronomy professor. Jones, he teaches defense against the dark arts…they say he's part leprechaun, and I wouldn't doubt it with his hair the way it is…and finally, Vale. Professor Vale teaches history of magic, and she's a mud blood. I wouldn't really say she's the best on the staff, considering how inferior she is…anyway, you'll get to know them all soon enough. The others will be important to you next year, but for now you've just got the basic classes. Madame Cruz, who teaches flying…she doesn't like to eat with the others. Spends most of her time on the Quidditch field, but you'll know her soon enough. You'll have your first class with her, mark my words." The brunette grinned…and what a grin…Allain had yet to see anyone who so resembled a hungry shark.

"Oh Rufus! You're so smart." Mouse-girl cooed at him.

"Of course I am, how do you think I got into Slytherin?" He puffed out his chest proudly. Why was being in a house represented by a slimy snake anything to be glad about? Allain had no idea. His parents were both in Gryffindor, and probably wouldn't be too happy to hear about his sorting. At least they would have the business of his book theft to distract them.

"That's when you'll find out which of you is worth your metal."

For awhile, the hall was silent…save for the clinking of silverware on golden plates, and the thumps of mugs hitting the table. And though conversation picked up, making most of Allain's fellow students seem somewhat bearable, but certainly not people he wanted to get to know, it seemed hours before the meal finally ended, and people began to file out of the great hall.

Andrew stood at the head of the Slytherin first years, boldly directing them down the vast hallways of Hogwarts. He struck Allain as arrogant, but not nearly as bad as that Rufus fellow…who he doubted he'd want to end up trapped in the same room with at any point in time.

The hallways were absolutely littered with portraits ranging from a buxom lady on a unicorn, to a stout knight with a penchant for spewing threats to passersby. Allain couldn't say he was too impressed with everything he saw, but it certainly had a pleasant (albeit dusty) atmosphere. This was a place of learning; a place where Allain was positive he would master Transfiguration even if it took him all of the seven years he attended.

"Now, you'll notice that everyone else, the other houses that is…have much shorter walks to their dorms. And why is that? Because they have to be as far away as possible, or else they'll end up clogging our entryway pleading to get into the Slytherin common room. You'll note that we also happen to have the perfect colors for our house, whereas Gryffindor is appallingly tacky…search me why anyone thought red and gold would be an appealing color combo to wake up to in the morning. The stuff of nightmares…"

Chuckles rang through the students, and Allain followed suit…though he didn't really think it was very funny. He had an odd feeling he'd be doing a lot of acting while he was in this house.

They finally reached the entrance to the Slytherin tower. It appeared to be a portrait of a trap door…on the ground. Allain's jaw dropped.

"This is Looney! How do we expect to get in there?" He asked, incredulously.

"It's quite simple, Duprey." Andrew sniffed.

"With recent renovations, they had to change the entryway to Slytherin, in a quite in ingenious way. Now listen closely, because I'll only say the password once. Expelliarmus…" The moment Andrew recited this word, the golden frame around the portrait vanished, and the painting sunk into the ground…becoming an actual trapdoor. Andrew grabbed the iron ring around it and pulled. The door opened with a whine, and a flight of steps appeared below.

"Come on, then. No time to waste…let's go." Andrew rushed down the stairs. A gust of wind blew up from the entryway, and Allain's hair was brushed upwards. He blinked, rubbing his eyes. Well if that wasn't foreboding in itself, he didn't know what was…

As they filed down the narrow passage, Allain rubbed his arms. It was rather like walking down into a dungeon…even more so when he finally reached the bottom. Instead of finding a comfortable room with a roaring fireplace, he found an emotionless stone chamber with large ornate chairs crafted from bone and oak. He didn't doubt it was human bone…

The ceiling was bent low, rather like a skylight…yet there was no window above. The Slytherin crest of a hissing snake stood proudly on the opposite wall…and he could swear as he walked further in, the eyes followed him. But that was just crazy.

"Okay, head over to the first year boy's dorm, up that stairway…" Andrew indicated a door opposite the crest. "And the girl's dorm is right behind me. It's quite simple. The further up you go, the higher the year. When you get into your second year, your dorm will be located a flight above the first year chamber. But never mind about that for now. I'd suggest you try and get there first, or all of the top bunks will be taken." Andrew dismissed the first years and headed over to the door to the boy's dorm. He didn't look anxious to spend any more time with them…He really was beginning to make himself look like a jerk.

Allain followed, and son found himself in his new room. There were five other boys. Blake. Gerald. Roy. Angus…Angus? Wow…that was a pretty silly name. And finally, Rupert. Oddly enough, Rupert didn't appear to be cursed with the nose of the Slytherins. Lucky jerk.

He didn't really like bunk beds, but he took a bottom bunk close to the window…which faced the forbidden forest. If he were Melody, that would probably be a constant temptation. Blimey, where did that thought come from? He hadn't known the girl very long at all. Maybe it was because of that stupid remark about fireflies.

When he opened his trunk, Allain's eyes landed on the book. He'd put it up when he'd changed his robes on the train, confident that if it really was as bad as his uncle made it seem…Allain would probably be in a fair amount of trouble if any professors spotted it. Maybe it held the record for world's most boring book, claiming the lives of millions of innocent readers? He had no idea…

"Oh, what book is that? Can I see?" Angus reached over Allain's shoulder and snatched the tome from it's place.

"Give that back!" Allain demanded, pulling his wand out from underneath his robe.

"Easy, now…I just wanted to look at it…" Angus handed the book back to him. Allain paused. That was it? No fight? Nothing?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react like that…I just…it's a family heirloom." Technically it was, wasn't it? After all…Grimes owned it, said it was special…surely that counted.

"Oh, I understand. I shouldn't have grabbed it like that." Angus turned away and headed to one of the beds, flopping down onto it.

Blake was busy changing into his nightdress…wait. Night…_dress_? Wow…

"It's been such a long day…won't it be wonderful to just get some rest, and relax?" Blake smirked at the rest of them and took a running leap to his bed…narrowly missing it, and slamming into the wall.

"AH, BLEEDING HELL!" Blake grabbed his head and shouted. Allain had to bite his bottom lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

"Caw, are you all right, Blake?" Gerald rushed forward to help him up.

"I'm fine, you bloody peasant…now unhand me…" Blake spat sourly. Gerald let go of him and backed away.

"That's no way to talk to one of your room-mates, Blake." Allain intoned, crossing his arms.

"You just threatened Angus with your wand, and you get cross with him for being in a bad mood after he nearly split his skull?" Roy demanded, incredulously.

"Now, now…there's no need to get in a fight, lads. Let's just go to bed and forget about it, okay?" Angus said good-naturedly.

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Man, I can not wait until I can try out for the Quidditch team next year. Am I right, guys?" Piped in Rupert. Nobody replied. They were all too tired.

As the evening died down, and the last boy…Roy…finally fell asleep, Allain wondered about that melody girl. Was she really going to sneak out tonight? Probably not. He shrugged the thought away and began to punch his pillow. More than anything else in the world right now, he wanted to sleep. And that's just what he did.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was 6 a.m. and down in the kitchens the house elves were busy at work preparing the first breakfast of the year. Crispy bacon, freshly baked biscuits with gravy, and every possible form of cooked egg you could think of. There were pancakes, and waffles, fresh fruit, and cereal. Pitchers of ice cold milk and orange juice were being conjured on the opposite ends of the tables.

Up in the tower not a sound could be heard. The students of Hogwarts were still deep in slumber, some dreaming about Quidditch, others about showing up to the Great Hall on the first day of classes in nothing but their underwear. The sunlight was sluggishly creeping into the Dormitories. Slowly up onto the four post beds, across the covers, and onto the faces of unsuspecting dreamers.

It was the first day of school. A marvelous day indeed. Today the first years would meet their teachers, and open their minds to the power of learning. Each one came to school with different hopes and goals. Some wanted to be the greatest Charms student ever known, while others wanted to invent a potion to stop door hinges from ever creaking again! Some even wanted to be the greatest Wizard or Witch ever.

Baby steps, baby steps! Only last night these 11-year-olds had been sorted into their houses. The Hufflepuffs, the most loyal and kindhearted, found their way into the basement, past the Fruit Bowl portrait, and to the cold stone wall between two gargoyle statues. The prefects announced the password, and the two gargoyles closed their wings around their stone bodies. Upon opening them again they were two badgers. The one on the left winked, and the other giggled. The wall, of course by magic, shaped itself into a door.

The Ravenclaws, arguably the smartest students of Hogwarts, found their way up the Clocktower, past the Divinations classroom, and into the Astronomy Tower. They crowded into a small corridor with a bookshelf and an armchair. To the first years it looked like the perfect place to study. To the older students it was the entry way to their common room. The Ravenclaw prefect, a girl with her auburn hair pulled back into a pony-tail, removed a book from the shelf, and whispered the password, which was actually a question-answer riddle, to the ugly witch on the cover. The witch let out a cackle, and turned into a dark eagle. The girl placed the book back on the shelf and it slid to the side.

The Gryffindors, brave and strong, made their way through the maze of moving and changing stairs in the Marble Staircase. Up and Up, then down, and back up they went. Seven floors, though it felt like 15 because of the backtracking they had to do. The top floor branched off towards the Arithmancy classrooms. The first years looked around confused. Amidst all the other portraits, one stood out. A very fat lady sat proudly in her way-too-small armchair. She was fanning herself. The prefects told her the password, and she sighed. The first years would soon learn she was the laziest of all portraits. She took a bite of a turkey leg on the side table nearby, and swung open.

Before the departure of one of the noisiest, most annoying ghost of Hogwarts, the dungeons were flooded; not by water, but by a strange potion that must have been made with every ingredient in the store room. Not even Headmistress Emerald could figure it out. The Potions classrooms and Slytherin common rooms were thus was moved to the location now known as Slytherin Tower. It was the same tower as the Owlery. For the first few weeks many first years would complain of the smell of dung.

The first years were chatting amongst themselves as they got ready for the day ahead. In the common room they found their schedules, and followed the older kids to the Great Hall. Some handled their nerves better then others. Some coped by eating everything in sight. Mishael, the Hufflepuff first-year was one of them.

"Where do you keep it all?" another boy named Terrance Alexander asked, barely touching his food.

"It in my stomach!" Mishael replied, obviously not getting the joke. English Humor wasn't his best.

At the Gryffindor table Melody was sitting with the other 5 First Years in her house. The two boys, Matthew Richards and Charlie Jones, were showing the girls their "See-Food."

"Ewwwww!" the girls shrieked as the boys busted into laughter.

"My brother's the same way!" Abigail Johnson cringed.

"So is mine." Michelle Thorn glared at her twin brother sitting at the Hufflepuff Table, who was showing Terrance and Mishael _his_ "see-food."

"_Boys..._" huffed Rachel Lacombe, standing up from her seat, "Melody, let's go. We want good seats for Charms!"

"Right!" Melody smiled and rose.

They began to walk out of the great hall, when Melody stopped abruptly.

"Melody?" Rachel asked.

"Just a second…" Melody told her, before walking towards the Slytherin Table.

Allain was sitting with the Slytherin Boys, talking about Quidditch. All of them seemed to agree that they would make the school team, and then become famous after graduation. Melody tapped Allain on the shoulder.

"Morning!" she squeaked.

"…This your girlfriend?" asked Blake grinned.

"No!" Allain shouted.

"He's turning red!" Gerald laughed.

"Don't be late, okay?" Melody, completely oblivious, shook Allain's head and giggled.

The two Slytherin First Year girls glared at Melody as she skipped back to Rachel, and out of the Hall.

"I don't like her." Elizabeth Young whispered.

"Me either. I saw him first!" Karen Graham whispered back.

The two girls were friends as soon as they sat together after the sorting last night, being the only two girls out of 8 Slytherins! The two decided they would use this to their advantage…if only they would grow out of their "ugly step sister" phase. And they both vehemently insisted it was just a phase; nothing more.

Melody and Rachel made their way through the Entrance way, and onto the Marble Staircase. The Charms classrooms were on the second floor, and far more easy to get to then the Gryffindor Common room. The Ravenclaw First Years were already there, reading through their copies of "Charming Charms for Chipper Cherubs!"

Melody and Rachel joined them pulling out their own books.

"Morning!" one of the long-haired girls smiled.

"Ready for Professor Ringwald?" a rather plain-looking girl asked.

"I've heard from my parents that he's…a funny one." Rachel explained before starting to read the preface.

"Do you know any spells?" asked a burly looking boy, who could barely fit into his robes. The two girls shook their heads, both coming from limited (magic-wise) families.

"Well then, watch this!" he said, pulling out his wand.

"Chuck…No magic in the halls!" hissed a tiny boy with glasses, "You'll get in trouble!"

"Only if I get caught.." Chuck whispered back, "Now, where was I? Oh yes…Incendio!"

A small flame shot from the tip of his wand and into the air. Incendio was a simple spell used to light candles, fireplaces, small forest fires, and the like.

"Mum taught me that one when we went camping!" Chuck said, very proud of himself.

Just then, one of the Suits of Armor sprang to life and grabbed Chuck. He let out a girlish scream as the suit struggled to hold him. All of the first years in the hall jumped to their feet and backed away. Melody felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Move aside, move aside!" a man said. It was Professor Ringwald. He pointed his wand at the armor and a white light flashed. The armor let Chuck go and he fell to his knees.

"10 points from Ravenclaw. No. Magic. In. The. Halls!" Professor Ringwald shouted from under his bushy moustache. His eye was twitching, "I don't have time for this!"

The other first years were now arriving.

"Why is the big man crying?" Mishael asked.

"I'm not crying!" sniffed Professor Ringwald, opening the door to his classroom. The students followed him in and took their seats. When he arrived at his desk he blew his nose, and looked at the class. Was he smiling? No one could tell beneath that big busy moustache.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Unfortunately for Allain, despite Melody's warning, he _had _ended up late for class. He couldn't help that he'd forgotten his book back in Slytherin Tower, or that he'd tripped and spilled an entire bottle of ink all over the carpet in the common room. And he wasn't very organized, so when he sorted through his trunk trying to find another ink bottle…suffice it to say, he was a good ten minutes late for Charms.

Professor Ringwald was quite unhappy when the sopping wet boy arrived at the classroom door with hands covered in ink and a shabby-looking back with various quills and crumpled sheets of parchment poking out of it.

"Five points from Slytherin, sit down in the back." He glarfed at Allain, and need have said nothing more. The poor boy was already in enough trouble, so he didn't argue.

"Way to go, _Allain_." Roy hissed from across the room. Apparently he'd already developed a dislike for him, though Allain couldn't think why. Sometimes people just seem to feel the need to hate someone.

By the time he finally reached a table and took his seat, Ringwald was already clearing his throat to direct everyone's attention.

"Good morning." Ringwald announced, though it didn't sound like he himself was having a very good morning, or week for that matter.

"Welcome to charms. For those of you who like to cause trouble, I've got my eye on you." Ringwald's right eye began to twitch as he tried to direct his attention towards both Allain and Chuck at the same time.

"And for those of you who don't like to cause trouble, you are in the right place. Never could stomach trouble, or nonsense for that matter. NO!" Ringwald slammed his fat fist on his desk for emphasis, causing quite a few of the students to jump.

"Charms, as you'll find, is very…very serious business." Ringwald sniffed, reaching up to wipe something from his twitching eye.

"Oh, but it's great fun. Indeed it is." As he said this, the professor rolled up his sleeves and reached into his pocket to pull out a short and stubby wand. Directing it at his desk, he mumbled something that wasn't quite discernible.

Suddenly, the desk sprung to life and ran out of the door.

"BLAST IT! NOT THAT WAY!" Ringwald shouted, rushing after the desk.

Allain blinked a few times, very confused. And then he felt his shoulder being nudged. Looking to his right, he was more than a little startled to find Melody staring right back at him.

"Fancy meeting you again, yeah?" She smirked. This girl was entirely too cheerful sometimes.

"This classroom isn't really that big. The chances of _not _meeting you again would have been far greater…"

"But there are about…" Melody glanced around the room, doing a quick mental calculation.

"...15 desks in here! Each of 'em can seat about two people. It would've been far more likely you'd sit somewhere else…"

"So?"

"I dunno. Just making conversation, yeah…" Melody trailed off, leaning on one of her elbows and directing her attention back to the door as if she was willing Ringwald to come back. Low and behold, soon he re-entered the classroom struggling with the desk as if it were a large and stubborn dog.

"That's enough of that!" Ringwald barked, smacking the desk…which cowered and slowly began to walk back to it's original spot at the front of the classroom.

Ringwald pointed his wand back at the desk and mumbled another charm. It did not move again, which Allain could only assume was the point.

"Now, as you can see…sometimes, if we're not paying attention…our spells can get away from us." Ringwald huffed, smoothing his moustache and crossing back to his desk to take a seat.

"I suppose we should start with a role call." He looked around, scanning the students' faces. No one smirked or giggled, as much as they may have liked to. And so the class went, until they were dismissed to Transfiguration.

That class went by with far less incidents. And since there was only one incident in Charms anyway, it could only mean that there were none. Professor Midges could only be described as nervous. When she wasn't teaching, her eyes would constantly dart to the door or window as if she expected someone to come jumping through ready to turn half of the students into pineapples.

To add to that, she had very thick coke-bottle lens glasses. Apparently, they weren't nearly strong enough either…as whenever she would address a student, she always ended up using the wrong name. Allain was called on more than once as Alice or Charity. But nevertheless, he thoroughly enjoyed the class. As for Melody, well…she seemed to be struggling to fight back tears of boredom. What's more, she was sitting by him yet again. Couldn't the girl find someone else to associate with? Preferably someone from her own house…

By the time everyone began to mill out of the room to head for lunch, Allain had scribbled notes over half of a parchment scroll already. He hadn't wanted to miss a word of what Professor Midges had said, be it about the proper way to hold a wand…or the dangers of leaving one's shoes untied when casting a spell. This certainly made up for his awful morning.

And so, when he was finally ready to leave…he lingered behind. Perhaps there was some form of extra credit work he could do? But before Allain had time to ask, Melody was dragging him out by his robe sleeve.

"C'mon! Don't want to miss lunch, yeah?" She grinned. Allain shrugged her way.

"Do you mind?" He demanded, straightening his clothes. Melody frowned.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, surveying his grumpy demeanor.

"Yes. You won't stop bugging me! I'll admit, we had a nice chat on the train. But I'm in Slytherin, and you're-"

"I'm what?"

"Not."

"Oh, well, good to know. I won't be bothering you again!" Melody stormed off, leaving Allain with a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach. He shouldn't have spoken to her like that. She was just trying to be friends. But he shook his head and reminded himself that he didn't need friends, and with that decided, headed towards the great hall. Of course, if he'd really believed that, he might have remembered to go back and ask Professor Midges about extra credit work. But guilt has a funny way of messing with a person's memories.

Taking his seat at the Slytherin table, Allain barely registered that there wasn't any food laid out yet. Or even that Karen Graham had sneakily plucked a hair from his robe and tucked it into one of her pockets. But his attention was alerted when Headmistress Emerald entered the Great Hall with a rather perturbed look on her face. Rushing towards the staff table, she took a seat and turned towards the unpleasant-looking Professor Graves. They spoke in hushed whispers, which Allain probably wouldn't have heard even if the rest of the hall had been silent.

Soon the food began to appear on the table, and he was distracted by an insistent demand for the passing of peas and cucumber sandwiches. Slowly reaching for a glass of Pumpkin Juice, Allain mused…

_Something odd is going on…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The bell rang and students left the Great Hall with full bellies for the second time today. The first years made their way to the Transfiguration Courtyard, where two rows of brooms await. The Transfiguration classrooms were not here, but there was a neat statue that constantly transformed from one House Animal to another. Through out the school year it was a great place to hang out with friends, and catch up on homework. But today, it was the host of the First Years Flying Lessons.

Madame Cruz was standing in the middle, talking to the statue when Allain and the other Slytherins arrived.

"Could you kindly stand over there? Honestly, we've been through before. I need teach the First Years how to fly!" she told it, annoyed.

It's response was to transform into a Griffin and roar.

"Now now, just sit over there. You like watching them crash, don't you?"

It transformed into and eagle and perched on the roof. Elleon shouted up to it in Gratitude and turned to face the children.

"Good day!" she exclaimed. She must of just removed a helmet, as her hair was flattened as if she'd been wearing on all day.

"I am Matilda Elleon Cruz, but please call me Elleon. You may know me from the Galloping Frogs Quidditch team. 5 years ago, after an embarrassing defeat at the hand of the Chasing Canaries, I left the world of Quidditch and took up this teaching spot at Hogwarts, awaiting the day that I could get together a team of unbeatable Quidditch players and win the World Cup."

Allain blinked. That sounded awfully like the plot of a movie he had seen last summer.

"Please stand to the side of you brooms. No, no Murphy, not the front. This isn't rocket science."

Allain's heart was racing. The only thing he loved nearly as much as Transfiguration was Flying. Maybe one day he would be on Elleon's Legendary Quidditch team. The very thought of this made Allain's face twist into a grin.

"The broom is very much like your wand," Elleon began. "You control it's power. Without you, can a wand do anything? No! And without you, a broom is just a piece of wood!"

She kept talking. Allain's palms were getting sweaty. He glanced over at Melody. She wasn't standing next to him, but on the very end of the row of brooms. She must hate him.

"Up!" Elleon said, her broom launching itself off the ground and into her hand, "Now you try."

Today was the first day of Allain's new life. Soon the whole school would be talking about the great Transfiguring Broom Master Duprey!

"Up!" the class shouted.

Allain's broom twitched on the ground, and happiness spread through out him. He was on step closer to his dream!

"Great job Melody!" Elleon beamed. Allain looked up to see Melody holding her broom. The other Gryffindors were smiling and congratulating her. "10 points for Gryffindor for restoring my hope of a great Quidditch team."

"Up!" Allain shouted. His broom flew into his hand. He looked up at Melody smugly.

"Nice one Duprey. Come on you slow pokes, get those brooms into your hands." Elleon beamed. Her students were learning so fast.

After a few more "ups!" all the students' brooms had sprung to life. Elleon continued with the lesson, teaching them how to sit properly on the broom, and levitate a few inches off the ground. Allain, now fuming at Melody, tried to Levitate the highest. Melody soon realized what he was doing.

"Look at him," she whispered to Rachel.

"He's a jerk," Rachel sighed, "hasn't he proven that already?"

"Yes, but why is he making it worse?"

"Pay Attention girls, this next part is tricky." Elleon commanded, "I haven't taught you how to land, have I?"

The students laughed, not taking her serious. Little did they know how hard it would be. Allain, being the Master of Brooms, decided to land and show them how it was done.

"Duprey! No!" Elleon shouted across the Courtyard, but it was too late.

Allain lost control of his broom and began spinning in circles, successfully knocking the students around him to the ground. It was a domino effect, as one student reached out for support and grabbed another ones broom, pulling her down. An entire row of students was knocked to the ground. Melody and Rachel would have laughed at the situation, if it wasn't for the fact many of the first years were actually hurt.

Half of the Slytherins were rushed to the hospital wing with broken ankles, and Mishael had a sprained wrist, and most of the School Brooms broke to pieces. The worst of all was the nice Ravenclaw girl who greeted them before Charms. She had splinters all over her body.

"It was an accident!" Allain cried. He some how survived his horrible crash unscathed.

"100 points from Slytherin!" Elleon shouted. Karen and Angus made a noise of disgust.

"You've ruined school property and hurt your peers! But most of all, you've smashed my dreams of finding a young Quidditch star!"

Luckily for Allain no one had to hear his punishment, as they had all been dismissed to Defense against the Dark Arts class. But it didn't matter. They'd all find out on Wednesday at their next flying lesson. According to Elleon he'd be riding the "Special" Broom. Not only that, but he'd be in detention for two weeks with Professor Ringwald.

Detention wouldn't start for two weeks though, as Headmistress Emerald wanted to give the first years a chance to learn the rules before being punished. She remembered her first week at Hogwarts. She got in all sorts of trouble, getting stuck in places she couldn't have, learning the passwords to the other common rooms. The list went on and on.

Allain, with his head hung low, entered Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"Mister Duprey!," Professor Jones bellowed, "Class has already ended!

Allain looked up suddenly and looked around the class.

"Just joking son," he laughed. "Have a seat next to Ms. Finch. I was just about to tell the class about the time I survived a fight with a menacing Magma Boar."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Allain walked solemnly to the back of the class. There must have been something wrong with that broom…it was the only explanation. Perhaps someone had put a hex on it. Barring that accident, and the other three he'd had back at home, Allain was just about the best broom rider there was! Granted…he'd only ridden a broom four times…

As he traversed the 'gauntlet' to Melody's desk, it didn't escape his notice that just about everyone was glaring daggers at him. Especially the Slytherins. Now Roy really did have a reason to despise him.

Taking his seat, Allain slumped down. Professor Jones was just beginning to get to the juicy bits of his story. It sounded quite far-fetched.

"Allain." Melody poked his shoulder. Looking up at her guiltily, he wondered if she was about to send a nasty curse flying in his direction. He certainly deserved it, for that stupid performance out there.

"Hm?" Allain grunted, longing to have the shell of a tortoise to sink inside.

"It's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay. I forgive you."

"…Thanks?"

"Not for the broom thing. I didn't get hurt. But for being a jerk earlier."

"…Why?"

"Because you don't need anyone else hating you at the moment. I already heard that the boys in your house are going to drop a bucket of slugs onto you tonight while you're sleeping…"

Allain gulped. He. Hated. Slugs. Nasty little gray things with slime and funny-looking eyes. He'd had a nightmare once when he was little about a giant slug coming to his birthday party and proclaiming to be his real father…then he'd looked in the mirror and noticed he had eye-stalks on his head.

Melody poked Allain's shoulder again.

"You okay?" She asked, noting how he'd paled at the mention of slugs.

"Yes…yes, I'm fine. Are they planning on doing anything else?"

Their discussion was interrupted as Professor Jones slammed a very large, very impressive looking book on his desk. In fact, it was so huge, that he had to climb onto his chair to survey all of the students before he opened it and began to flip through the pages.

"Ah, yes. Defense Against the Dark Arts! Did you know, that a teacher has never had to retire from this position? Most of them have ended up dying in horrible fashions. But not me…eheh, that is, not yet." He grinned, letting out a high-pitched laugh.

Allain raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that couldn't be true. He'd read somewhere about past professors at Hogwarts, and there had been a good deal of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers who'd retired. But he didn't interrupt. He was already in enough hot water as it stood.

"Now. The Dark Arts are downright terrifying, when you think about it. A good deal of it involves killing people! And if not, delivering horrible curses down family lines…" Professor Jones paused and leaned forward, whispering confidentially.

"If you want to know a secret…I know a certain member of the staff here who's wife's family was cursed. All the women down their line were born with unshakeable moustaches!" He waved his hand.

"But it's not my place to tell you who. Rhymes with Bingfald, though. But that's enough of that…heheh. And now! Back to the topic at hand…"

"Are all of the professors here looney?" Allain looked at Melody, quite serious.

"Could be. That Frump fellow seems pretty sane, though…if a bit of a meany, yeah?"

Pretty soon the students were divided into groups of three. Melody, Allain, and Chuck ended up together. Chuck had gotten his nose smashed when Allain collided with everyone earlier in flying lessons, so he was one of the many who didn't want to be around him at the moment.

They had quite an exciting assignment ahead of them. Group reading aloud, taking turns. Oh joy! The chapter was dreadfully dull, outlining the uses and misuses of defensive spells which can in themselves become offensive applied under certain circumstances.

"I've got my eye on you, broom-boy!" Chuck grumped in a very nasally voice, no thanks to the nose incident. He'd gone to the hospital wing, but they'd just given him some bits of potion-dipped tissue and told him to shove them up his nostrils for about three hours…then he'd be all better. It hadn't merited as much attention as all of the student with sprained ankles and scraped knees.

"And I've got my eye on you!" Professor Jones interrupted, clapping a hand on Chuck's shoulder. He was a good half-foot shorter than the boy, so he was somewhat less intimidating than he could have been.

"We all make mistakes, and I don't want to see a fight break out in my classroom. So if you'll kindly continue reading, Mister Pinntesky, this class should go by much smoother for the lot of us." With that, the funny little man spun around on his heels and walked around to inspect the rest of the groups.

"He's right, you know." Melody interrupted Allain in the middle of a thoroughly uninteresting paragraph about bad-tempered boggarts.

"About what?" Chuck asked, not taking his eyes off of Allain even for a second.

"It'll do us no good to hold grudges, yeah?"

"What's it to you? He's just a slimy Slytherin. Just look at that nose! Me mum always said you could judge a man by the size of his conker."

"You're one to talk…" Allain responded, rubbing his nose sensitively.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Chuck shouted as he pointed as his swollen sniffer, receiving a very angry glare from Professor Jones…which really didn't suit the little fellow at all.

"One more outburst from you, young man, and you will be sharing detention with Mr. Duprey. And _yes_ I do had the power to enforce rules in my classroom. Five points from Ravenclaw, now get back to reading!"

The rest of the class seemed to pass very slowly. Though Chuck didn't say anything else, other than what was written in the book, Allain had a feeling he was probably going to try to think of something even worse than pouring slugs in his bed.

Thankfully, it was the last class of the day. No more accusing glances, no more snide remarks, no more attacks on his flying skills…Allain was absolutely thrilled to have everything for the day over and done with. Of course, later on in the evening he would have to figure out some way to foil the prank his house-mates intended to play on him.

"Hey, Allain…" Melody nudged him as they left the classroom. Professor Jones was just about to break into a lecture about his famous aunt Swirlenditszch who'd enchanted over a hundred muggle dishwashers to recite limericks…but they didn't stick around to listen.

"What?" Allain asked, adjusting the strap of his satchel over his shoulder.

"Want to head to the library?"

"Why?"

"Less people there to stare at you, yeah?"

"….I suppose you're right. But we'll have to be quiet."

"I'm sure we can find some place where the librarian won't hear us…"

The Hogwarts library was indeed empty. Since it was the first day of classes, Allain supposed nobody wanted to bother studying yet. But it wasn't as if they didn't have assignments that would be due in a few days. Still, he wasn't going to complain about a bit of good luck.

They took their seats in the very back, out of sight of the stern-faced Madam Ludwig. The name suited her…she greatly resembled a portrait of Beethoven with lipstick and a grayish-blue robe.

Seated at the table, Allain reached into his book bag to pull out his charms book. Ringwald had given them an essay to work on, but he didn't remember what was it about. He'd jotted it down in his book, though…

"Hold on, I'm going to go browse the shelves." Melody left without another word. Allain blinked, raising an eyebrow. Surely she wasn't thinking about reading new books when they already had homework to do? Well, housework. Though not chore-related…that seemed the more proper term.

He didn't have long to ponder why she'd left though, because soon she'd returned with armfuls of books. Dumping them on the table, Melody plopped down into her chair and grabbed the first one she saw.

"What is wrong with you?" Allain asked honestly, leaning back to examine the stock she'd collected.

Melody shrugged and flipped through a few pages.

"Might as well look like we're doing some work if the librarian pops over."

"But we _are _supposed to be doing work!" Allain indicated his charms book.

"I've already done that." Melody waved a hand dismissively.

"What about Transfiguration? And…and Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"I'll do it later. Caw! Look at this picture, yeah?" Melody leaned forward to shove her book into Allain's face. Pulling back, he examined a small moving illustration of a man ballroom dancing with a goose…who was really quite good at it.

"What's this book called?" Allain asked, against his better judgment…

"Um, er…hold on." Melody pulled back and looked at the cover.

"Fancy Flights and Follies. Most pointless charms ever invented."

"Can't say I don't disagree with the title…" Allain mumbled, looking at yet another picture of a badger playing poker with a table full of dogs.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As expected, the next morning Allain was covered in Slugs from head to toe. He made his way to the Slytherin Bathroom, hearing the laughs of the other Slytherins he passed. No matter how much he scrubbed, he felt like the slime just wouldn't come off! But on the plus side, at least he wasn't drowsy.

Luckily for Allain, his Slytherin brethren stopped treating him like a red-headed step-child and even laughed about the incident. No one would ever forget their first flying lesson with Allain Duprey. Even if they'd wanted to (which they didn't.)

Two weeks passed quickly for the first years. As opposed to the first day of classes, which were long and boring, as the teachers just introduced themselves and their subjects; the next two weeks involved _real_ spell work.

In Charms class they were learning the 3 basic movement spells: Wingardium Leviosa, Accio, and Depulso. Allain found it was much easier to summon an object to him or blast one away, than levitate them. Whoever cast the spell on the candles within the Great Hall must have been a tremendously powerful witch or wizard. Allain also found that Melody was very good at all 3 spells. Francine Mitchelson, from Ravenclaw, was the first to master all 3 spells, earning her house 15 points.

After a week of learning the ins and outs in Transfiguration, they finally learned their first spell: Cedaris. Professor Midges placed a needle on each of their desks and asked them to turn them into matches. Not a single student could do it the first or second day. Their homework was to continue with it, and Allain wouldn't stop. Every break, and all weekend he worked tirelessly on it. The secret was seeing the change in your mind. That fateful Wednesday Allain finally received a positive number of House Points.

"Allain, congratulations!" Midges beamed, holding up his match, "Now to see if it lights!"

It didn't, but Midges didn't care.

"Oh well, that's what Magic is for! 50 points to Slytherin!"

Melody and the Slytherins clapped excitedly. Allain was sure Melody would receive some backlash from her fellow Gryffindors, but if she did she never told Allain about it. It seemed like an awful lot of points, but he suspected Midges was fond of him. He was the only student who had managed to retain a perky attitude through all of her classes.

Flying lessons continued, albeit with Allain on a special broom...one that was tethered to the ground. He could levitate no more then 3 feet, while his classmates were learning how to accelerate, turn, and dive.

The tiny Professor Jones packed the biggest punch, as he taught the students their first Defense Against the Dark Arts spell: Expulso. It caused things to explode! Unfortunately, several students had their wands taken away for the rest of the period after their first attempts.

"The best defense is a good offense!" Jones exclaimed, "That's what my mother always told me!"

"I heard his mother died when he was only 2..." Allain heard a girl whisper behind him.

Up until the day of Allain's first detention, no one had been able to blow up any of the 3 bottles placed at the end of the classroom.

"Expulso!" Chuck shouted, and the far right bottle exploded. The entire class, including Chuck, jumped at the noise.

"Amazing! 1000 points for Ravenclaw!" Jones shouted, and then "Just joking of course! 25 points!"

Monday night, after Allain bid Melody and Angus farewell, he made his way to Professor Ringwald's office.

"Good evening! Please come in, come in," he huffed as he opened the door.

"Hello Professor," Allain forced a smile. He was more than a little a little upset that there would be no practicing transfiguration spells tonight.

"Going to be grading the 4th Years Written Charms Test this evening, Duprey. Here is the answer key. Take this quill, this ink," he explained handing him the things he needed.

"Wait, wait…" Ringwald sighed, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the ink. He mumbled a spell and it turned red, "There we go. Can't grade in blank ink can we?"

Allain liked Ringwald, but really wished he would drink a calming potion. He couldn't take much more of his twitchy eye. Part of him was afraid it would finally decide to pop out and head for the hills one of these days...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Allain had always thought his own handwriting was bad, but never before had he seen such atrocious works of literary 'art'. Apparently Ringwald thought it would be a funny joke to make him work on all of the papers with the worst handwriting…typical. Well, it wasn't as if the man seemed to have much of a sense of humor, so Allain wasn't going to hold a grudge against him for this one joke. Not to mention it doesn't do a person much good to resent their professors.

Ringwald was sitting at his own desk, scrawling through another stack of assignments and gnawing on a particularly large cockroach cluster. He was completely focused on his work. This was probably the calmest Allain had ever seen the man. His eye was still twitching, but that was probably a permanent effect at this point.

"Er…professor?" Allain asked, clearing his throat.

"What is it, Duprey?" Ringwald grumbled, not taking his eyes away from one of the papers.

"Can I get some water?"

"When your detention is over. You've still got an hour left, so don't try and weasel out of it."

"…I wasn't."

"Good. Cockroach cluster?" Ringwald pulled a bejeweled candy-box out of his desk and offered some to Allain.

"Erm…no. That's okay. I'm on a diet."

"Humph. _Diets. _Fat lot of ruddy nonsense, if you ask me."

"Yes, sir. But…I'm diabetic."

"Are you, now?" Ringwald asked, doubtfully. Allain wasn't, but he really didn't want to be rude.

"Yes."

"You didn't look very diabetic when I saw you munching on those chocolate frogs in the back of my classroom last Tuesday."

Allain blushed and looked back down at the papers. He was trying to decipher a word. It either said 'bathtub' or 'barfscrub'…maybe it was 'braingrub'...He decided to mark a red x on it just in case.

The rest of the detention would have gone by much slower, if it weren't for the large and regal owl which swooped into the classroom and dropped a fat envelope on Ringwald's head, effectively covering up his bald spot. The bird then dropped down to the ground to snatch up a grubby mouse before flying out of the room.

Suddenly, the calm atmosphere which the Professor had seemed to create while he graded his papers had suddenly evaporated. Slowly, the color began to drain out of his face as he reached up towards the envelope with a shaky hand. Spluttering bits of cluster everywhere, he stared at the handwriting on the front for a very long period of time before looking up and giving Allain a piercing stare.

"I'll be back in a moment…I-I just have s-something to…deal with. Nothing major. Really..." With that, the Professor shoved a handful of Cockroach Clusters into his mouth and left the room.

Allain stared after him, wondering what on earth could have upset the man so. He would have gone back to grading too, if it weren't for the sudden flash of strawberry blonde hair rushing past the doorway.

Standing up, the boy pushed himself away from his desk and edged towards the exit.

"Melody?" He called, knowing that it could only be her. He hadn't noticed any other girls at the school with that particular shade of hair.

By now she'd reached the end of the corridor and turned sharply. Quietly, so as not to alert Professor Ringwald's desk (which he suspected was still slightly charmed, as it would occasionally shift or wag one end excitedly whenever students entered the room,) Allain snuck out and followed after Melody.

She seemed to be rushing very quickly, and he could scarcely follow with his ropes constantly catching on his shoes. But when she ran into the girl's bathroom, Allain jolted to a stop. He felt incredibly silly now. For some reason, he'd thought she was up to something sneaky. After all, it was very late at night.

Spinning back on his heel, Allain rushed back to the classroom, hoping against hope that Ringwald wasn't back and waiting to pounce.

As it turned out, he wasn't. And didn't return for another half-hour. He looked far more stressed than usual, which was quite a feat in Allain's mind. There must have been something incredibly disturbing in that letter…


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Professor Ringwald escorted Allain to the Slytherin Common Room around 9:15pm, after all the papers had been graded, and the Cockroach Clusters eaten. Allain made his way down the steps and found himself face to face with Karen Graham.

"Hello Allain," she grinned.

"Hello," he replied, not meeting her eyes and strategically moving around her.

"Good night Allain," she called from behind him. He didn't like her.

Allain found Angus and Rupert sitting in the emerald oversized armchairs going over their Defense Against the Dark Arts Homework.

"Are you sure that's right?" Rupert asked.

"Yes," Angus nodded, "Positive!"

Allain plumped down beside them, completely exhausted. Not to mention, his hand was quite sore. The three of them chatted for a bit before heading off to the Showers and getting ready for bed.

The next morning Allain and Angus met Melody and Rachel in the Entrance Hall. He thought they were going straight to breakfast, but the girls lingered behind.

"What is it?" Angus asked.

"Just waiting for Brittany and Mishael," Melody told them. She was referring to the nice Ravenclaw girl, and that black-hole-for-a-stomach Hufflepuff boy. Sure enough a few minutes later Mishael came out from the archway next to the stairs.

"Good morning, friends!" he shouted. Allain and Angus exchanged a funny look.

Melody took Mishael's Charms Essay and quickly started to read through it, correcting his mistakes and the like. His grades had been suffering due to his English.

"We'll meet you inside," Allain told them, as he didn't eat as much as he should have the night before and was starving.

Melody gave him a dirty look and continued her reviewing. Angus and Allain entered the great hall and sat next to Chuck at the Ravenclaw Table.

"I've finally got it," he smiled at Angus. Allain hoped he was talking about robes that fit. "I can aim now!"

He was talking about his Expulso spell. Allain noticed his robes were just as tight as ever. Rolls of fat were accentuated heavily by the tightly bound fabric. Allain didn't like Chuck, and the feeling was obviously mutual. But he got along very well with Angus and Melody.

"Morning," Brittany smiled, as she took a seat with Melody and Mishael.

Behind them, Allain could hear some 6th years talking about their Astronomy Homework, and the upcoming Full Moon in 2 weeks. The thought of stars reminded Allain of Fireflies.

"Melody, what was up last night?" He asked, suddenly remembering the incident in the hallway. Angus suddenly became very engrossed with his breakfast, as if bacon were the most fascinating food item known to man.

"Well," Melody said slowly, "After you left for detention, Angus and I did our homework by the Lake."

Allain looked between the two and shrugged, "After that."

"After what?" Melody asked confused.

Allain would have pressed further, but the bell rang, and the group of first years had to make their way to class.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the first years had: Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, and Muggle Studies. None of these classes perked Allain's interest, although Herbology did remind him of home. Sometimes the 'male' plants would rub up against him, thanks to his flowery scent.

Allain and the others turned the corner of the hall, where Headmistress Emerald and Professor Graves were talking quickly. As they approached, the Headmistress put on a smile and nodded.

"Good Morning, First Years. Glad to see you're heading to class, and not shirking your studies!"

"Good Morning, Headmistress," they echoed back.

Professor Graves had a very sour grimace plastered on his pale face. And his mood didn't get any better during class. He was eyeing the students rather suspiciously. Rachel, who was quite good at Potions, was helping Melody with her Sleeping Drought. It kept coming out cotton candy pink instead of crimson red.

"Miss Lacombe," Graves said, squinting at Rachel through the fog being produced from Matthew Thorn's cauldron.

"Yes, Professor?" Asked Rachel, who had just finished pouring her potion into an empty vial for grading.

"I am going to need you to stay after class for a minute. I have a few questions to ask."

Rachel looked at her friends, confused, but didn't argue. When the bell rang, the group waited for her outside. After she emerged from the classroom, she gave them a 'tell-you-later' look.

They nodded and made their way to the Herbology Greenhouses, through the Transfiguration Courtyard and across the school grounds.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The rest of the day's classes were uneventful, save for when Allain had to switch seats with Melody because the Scarlet Snapping Vines wouldn't stop caressing his cheek. He really did need to air out his robes.

Frankly, nothing much seemed to happen at all over the course of the next two weeks. Rachel never did tell Allain what the Professor had said, but she was more Melody's friend than his. The most exciting thing to happen at all during their flying lessons was when Allain's rope was lengthened to six feet. Even then, Madame Elleon was more than a little nervous about letting him fly at all.

And then, Allain's last day of detention finally arrived. He was more than a little cheerful as he arrived in Ringwald's classroom, which really wasn't what the professor was expecting.

"Er…hello, Mister Duprey. You're not…plotting a prank of some sort, are you?" Allain didn't doubt for a moment that the professor was serious.

"Of course not, Professor Ringwald!" Allain held up his hands and revealed both sides to prove his innocence. He couldn't help feeling a little giddy that he wasn't going to spend any more evenings nursing calluses and headaches after an endless hour and a half of tedious grading.

"Yes, well, let's get on with it." Ringwald mumbled, ushering Allain into the classroom and then shuffling over to his desk. There were already quills, ink, and essays stacked in the front row for Allain to work on. He vowed as long as he attended Hogwarts that he would _never _get detention again…

Thirty minutes into his punishment, right on cue…the barn owl swept in and dropped yet another letter in the exact same bald spot on Ringwald's head. He did exactly what he always did, stared at it, coughed up a bit of candy, and shoved another fistful into his mouth before excusing himself.

Allain was dying to know what upset him so much every day, but had thus far refrained from asking. It was none of his business, he had to keep reminding himself. Not to mention, it was a chance to get a good twenty minute or so break. He'd been timing it.

Easing out of his chair slowly, (because he was still a little nervous that the slightest sound would bring Ringwald thundering back into the class, and tack on another week of detention,) Allain crossed the room to stand in front of the window. It was a full moon tonight. So that meant it was now exactly one month into the school year.

He hadn't received any owls yet from mum or dad, so that was a good sign. Maybe they didn't know about the book? Allain couldn't see how, but it was possible. Unlikely. But possible.

Stars twinkled in the sky overhead, as they were wont to do. Why couldn't stars do something more interesting for ones? Like fizzle, or play musical spaces? Instead they either sparkled or fell. Or turned into black holes and consumed everything within a short distance. But that was it.

Glancing down at the grounds, he surveyed everything he could see. The Forbidden Forest looked particularly forbidden tonight. A wind had picked up, and the trees where shuddering pitifully. Then…a figure made it's way across the fields, rushing towards the woods.

Wait…what?

"MELODY!" Allain recognized that little speck of strawberry blonde. Which just went to show, he didn't need to get his eyesight checked.

What on earth was that idiot girl doing? Because if she was rushing into the forest without a care, **especially** after dark, she was definitely worthy of the title. This couldn't wait until the next day for a lecture, he was going to have to go after her. He didn't care if Ringwald discovered his absence later, Allain was _not _about to let Melody get herself killed (even if she might frankly have deserved it at this point for doing something so stupid.)

Allain had never met the Hogwarts caretaker before. They said the man preferred anonymity with the students unless absolutely necessary. If he saw someone wondering around when and where they shouldn't, he wouldn't stop them in the hallways. But a nasty little letter would arrive for them the next morning, demanding they report to Professor Graves' office. It was a general consensus that Graves was the one person no one wanted to be in trouble with. He was more than a little threatening.

Of course, the bright side was that if he got spotted…he probably wouldn't be stopped.

This would be so much faster if Allain had a broom, but he didn't. And there was no telling what damage _that _would do to the house points. Slytherin had finally recovered from the loss, and probably weren't going to go so easy on Allain if they were dealt another blow.

The easy part was getting outside. It took awhile, but a few left turns…once in awhile, a right turn for variety. And then finally…the entrance hall. Of course, it took him a good ten minutes to open the doors…as he was more than a little terrified that the rusted hinges would give his presence away. They didn't.

Right at the moment he stepped outside, Allain was greeted by a blast of cool air. The doors were slammed shut behind him…which was a good reason to start running. His main priority might now may be to keep Melody from getting herself killed, but his second was to keep from getting caught.

Hitching up the bottom of his robes, Allain broke into a brisk jog across the courtyard. The hair on the back of his neck prickled ominously. Where on earth could she be? She hadn't gone very far, he hoped. Allain had a little more faith in her intelligence than that…but then again, if she was going outside at this time of night (to the Forbidden Forest, no less) then she was already proving to be considerably dumber than he'd thought.

As he approached the forest, the swaying branches of the surrounding trees seemed to be waving away. Even the wind sounded odd. As if it was whispering…

"_Go back. Go back. Dark things are brewing tonight…Go back…"_

But of course, that was ridiculous. He knew very well that his imagination liked to runaway with itself. Though he still fervently believed that odd witch and wizard outside of the shop were up to something.

Ignoring the 'voice', Allain reached into his robe and pulled out his wand.

"Lumos!" He called, and the tip of it lit up to illuminate his path. It looked like Melody had cleaved her own…broken twigs and twisted clumps of grass lay everywhere. This wasn't _normal_ for an average girl, even if she was a witch. Something was definitely up. With each step Allain took into the forest, walking further and further away from the safety of Hogwarts, a growing sense of urgency developed. If he didn't find Melody quick, something really bad was going to happen to her!

"_Melody!"_ He whispered into the woods. There was no response. Licking his lips, Allain called out again.

"Melody!" This time, he was a little louder. Still…nothing…

"MELODY!" He finally cried, spinning about in search of her. Out of the corner of his eye, a reddish-yellow blur appeared and took on form as it leapt at him.

"AHHHH!" Allain cried out, dropping his wand as a great, hulking wolf shoved him to the ground.

"HELP ME! MELODY!" Allain screamed this time, trying to push the monster away. But it would do no good, and he knew that within moments he would be in a far worse state than the trampled bits of grass.

Suddenly, a searing hot pain tore through his shoulder as the beast's teeth bit into his flesh…but before it could do any real damage, a hoof delivered a solid kick to it's skull. The animal was sent soaring several feet away into a heap of brambles.

Tearing up, Allain clutched at his shoulder. There were no broken bones, thankfully…but he was pouring a river of blood.

Through blurred eyes, Allain looked up into the face of his savior. It was…a man? But…hooves. His mind wasn't really processing logic at the moment.

_A centaur!_ It suddenly struck him. A creature that was half horse, half man…obviously. He didn't need to remind _himself_ what it was.

The man…thing…centaur had chestnut brown hair to match it's horse half, and had countless scars running down it's human chest.

"You should not be here." The centaur looked down at him, examining the boy's shoulder.

"Why…why did you save me?" Allain gritted his teeth, trying to pull himself up. He was beginning to grow a little faint.

Before the 'man' could respond, the wolf had gotten to it's feet and leapt at him. There was a fierce struggle, but it was obvious who would win…Allain didn't want to stick around to be sure.

He slowly began to crawl towards his fallen wand. A voice inside him told him that if he could just reach it, everything would be okay. He'd wake up from this nightmare back in his bed, with fingers aching from another night of grading.

As Allain grasped the stick of wood with his dirt-covered hand…a guilty part of him said he had to do something to save the centaur. But what could he honestly do? He was still bleeding, and would probably faint at any moment. This was the end of Allain Duprey…

A horn blast suddenly pierced the air, and a group of centaurs came into sight. Allain couldn't see much through his fading vision, but he took comfort in knowing that at least Melody was probably okay…

"The skies are growing restless..." Whispered one of the centaurs, as the wolf took off running into the depths of the woods (it knew it as no match for such a large group.)

They looked down at the young boy.

"We should let him die..."

"No, the moon is in his favor..."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"...The moon is in his favor," one of the Centaur repeated, looking down at Allain. The others laughed at the irony, though Allain had no idea why.

It pulled out a leaf from a small leather pouch wrapped around it's shoulders, and bent down by Allain, who did his best to pull himself away in fear. Strength wasn't on the boy's side at that moment.

"Now, now, child…Let me help you," it told him, grabbing him with it's human arms.

Allain cringed as the leaf was rubbed into his shoulder. It must have been a healing herb, as a numbness took over the burning of the wound.

"He will be one of them now," another Centaur spoke, this one a female. The other centaur looked to her. Was she the leader of the pack?

What did she mean by 'one of them'? One of what?

"Tonzud, you will go and alert the Headmistress," she told the centaur that had nursed Allain's wound.

"Lanol, I fear we have meddled enough already," he replied, watching Lanol's face for a sign of anger. Instead, she smiled.

"Always the black sheep of your family," she said, "What would your great grandfather say?"

"He followed the path the stars laid out for him," Tonzud sighed. Allain could sense Tonzud felt a bit of anger toward his great grandfather, whoever he was.

"Boy," Lanol said, looking down at Allain, "Stand up."

Allain quickly did as he was told. Amazingly enough, none of his previous weakness lingered. He felt as good as new! It was dark, but Allain knew his robes were covered in blood. How was he going to get back to the Common Room? Not to mention explain his ruined clothes to his mother when he went home at the end of the school year...

"You will tell the headmistress about both of you, the first thing in the morning. You are young, and she may not believe you, but you must persist. There hasn't been one of those beasts in these woods in many a year." Lanol directed Allain. It didn't make any sense. About both of us? What beast? The wolf?

Allain had problems believing wolves didn't live in these woods. The fact that they were forbidden had to imply there were dangerous creatures living in here. That's when it hit him. Not Wolves…

_Werewolves!_

"No…" Allain looked up at Lanol, "Not me…I'm…not a werewolf. I can't be!"

Lanol nodded, and took Allain's hand. "When one is bitten by the creature, one becomes the creature. It is the nature of their...and now your kind. Come now, I will show you the way back to the castle."

Allain's mind shut down, but his feet still moved. How could he be a werewolf? His life was ruined!

"Here," Lanol's voice pulled him out of his trance, "This is the secret passage the girl used. I assume it will get you back into the castle unnoticed.

_…The girl?_

"Melody!" Allain shouted. "Where is she?"

Lanol looked at him confused, "You know the werewolf?"

"Were…wol…Melody is a werewolf?" Allain's heart rate began to accelerate.

Not wanting to meddle any more, Lanol pushed Allain into the secret entrance. It was through a revolving stone wall on the outside of the castle. The inside was dark, and the path was a great winding staircase. The stones were covered in wet globs of green mold, as if it were seldom used...which was probably the case.

He finally emerged on the fourth floor near the hospital wing. From there, he made his way across the hallway connecting the Clock Tower with the Owlry. Up one more flight of stairs, he found himself at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. With all manner of thoughts running through his head, he took a hot shower, threw the healing leaf in the fire so no one would find evidence of his injury, and went to bed. Facing the repurcussions of Ringwald's fury in the morning seemed very minor indeed.

But before he did anything else, he was going to have a long talk with Melody...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The sun arose on a somewhat unpleasant day. Oh, it was nice outside. That wasn't the issue. Birds were chirping, Blake's obnoxious toad was singing, nothing was out of the ordinary. It was a Wednesday, which meant Charms…though, again, that would be nothing compared to what he'd gone through the previous night. Allain still couldn't believe that sweet, overly-peppy Melody was a werewolf!

As he slid out of bed, a shiver ran down Allain's spine. The floor was absolutely freezing. Any relief the herbs on his shoulder may have provided last night had faded completely. But…

Hurriedly, Allain shoved his sleep shirt over his head and examined the area. It was red, swollen, but closed. More than anything, his shoulder resembled a glob of silly putty that had been bitten into by a starving dog. The scar was obviously going to be permanent…

"Oy, what's that?" Piped up Rupert from across the room, sitting up in bed. The others were still waking up.

"…It's an old injury. From that flying lesson…"

"Looks pretty nasty. You didn't land _that _hard, did you? They should've been able to clear it up in the infirmary…"

"Uh. Well. Um…er. That is…"

"Ah, I'm just pullin' your leg. Don't have to tell me if you don't wanna." Rupert crossed the room and slung open his trunk, gathering up a folded robe and nodding to Allain before disappearing through the doorway. Rupert had an obsessive showering habit, which was pretty convenient for Allain at the moment.

He hurriedly got dressed and fled Slytherin tower before anyone else woke up to bug him about his injury. It still smarted a little, but nothing a few weeks' rest and good food wouldn't fix…

Though there was something else entirely which Allain had been pushing to the back of his mind until now. He wasn't…_normal_ anymore. He was a **WEREWOLF!**

Adjusting the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, Allain followed a group of giggling Slytherin girls rushing towards the great hall for breakfast. That creepy Karen girl was with them, but thankfully she didn't notice him (for once.)

He hadn't asked for this. Allain had always been an average person in the crowd, with nothing special whatsoever to single him out. He'd prided himself on the fact. But now? Now…what? He'd have to tell his parents. And they wouldn't be too happy. Then there was getting registered with the Ministry. Becoming, pretty much, a social pariah for the rest of his life. There was no way he'd get into a good Quidditch team now, let alone get a good job…no matter how good he became at Transfiguration.

But of course…there was always the option of…no! He couldn't. Could he? …Supposing he didn't tell the Headmistress. Supposing he just kept this little problem a secret, until he absolutely _had _to tell someone else. Things would certainly be a lot easier. Of course, the centaurs wouldn't be too happy if they found out.

Oh well…what they didn't know, wouldn't hurt them…right?

Allain had no idea about the dark, crafty creature lurking within the very halls he walked. So absorbed in his thoughts was he, that he didn't even suspect there could be anyone plotting to attack him. And by the time it leapt…he was too late.

"EEEK!" Allain cried, falling forward as Melody playfully tackled him to the ground.

"GOOOOOD morning! Man…you scream like a girl…"

"No kidding." Chimed in Angus as he joined them, leaning forward to pull Melody to her feet…but letting Allain help himself up.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" He grouched, forgetting for the moment that she was a blood-thirsty killer who'd granted him the same curse.

"I was happy to see you?" She teased, giggling. Allain would have turned to his fellow Slytherin for back-up, but Angus looked pretty close to laughing too.

"Never mind. What were you doing last night?" He suddenly remembered what he wanted to talk to her about.

Melody suddenly blanched and began to stammer.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I was studying with Angus. Right, Angus? Yeah?" She nudged Angus who nodded decidedly faster than he needed to.

"Yeah. She was studying with me." They exchanged a look that Allain didn't miss. Why was he covering for her? Did he know, too?

Allain stared at them both for a very long moment, before the gathering throng of famished students began to shove and push all three of them down the hall. It wouldn't be wise to talk about last night with so many people around. Or dawdle and get shoved to the ground by ravenous teenagers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Allain slowly raised his spoon of oatmeal to his mouth. Slowly, because he was too busy studying Melody's face to look down and coordinate where his spoon was going. She had a small bruise on her right cheek. What was Melody thinking? Coming to Hogwarts as a Werewolf? Obviously she wasn't registered with the Ministry…If she was, there was no way she'd be allowed to attend Hogwarts.

_Look at her, sitting there innocently eating her sunny side up eggs_. Next to her; Mishael, Angus, and Rachel were going over some homework for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Without a wolfsbane potion, she wouldn't remember the attack on Allain. Or the kick to the face from a Centaur. Or even what might have happened afterwards to her, that night.

"Melody?" Allain got her attention. She looked at him with a piece of egg hanging from her mouth.

"Yea?" she slurped and swallowed.

"Where'd you get that bruise?" he asked, suspiciously. Allain could have sworn he saw Melody's eyes flash for just a second.

"I…" she looked down at her plate then back up to Allain, "…During flying practice on Monday! You're not very observant, yea?"

In reality, Allain was very observant when it came to Melody in Flying Lessons. She was the best First Year there was, it seemed, and it drove Allain crazy! That should have been his title! The Great Transfiguring Broom Master Duprey! Now that he was a Werewolf, he truly was the "transfiguring" Duprey. Melody hadn't hurt herself on Monday, or at all since the school year began! So trying to feed him that line about flying lessons was utterly ridiculous.

Allain was just about to Protest when the sound of one hundred owls flying over head filled the Great Hall. Melody received her Daily Prophet, Rachel and Angus received some letters from home, Mishael received a package, and Allain received a bundle of letters.

Mishael began shouting out German words Allain couldn't understand as he excitedly opened up his package. Occassionally he thought he understood a few words, like 'windmill' and 'vanilla pudding'. Angus and Rachel joined in the fun when they saw it was a pack of Smell-tastic Ink. Must be nice, Allain thought, to still be young and innocent! They wouldn't have to worry about their lives and careers being ruined over the course of one unfortunate night. Allain looked through the bundle of letters, not really thinking, until he laid eyes on the one from his dear uncle Grimes. The good news was: it wasn't a Howler. The bad news was: Grimes never wrote Allain. Ever. Not even on his Birthday!

Allain opened the letter quickly, forgetting all about Melody and her dark secret.

_If I find out you took that book, you'll be_

_spending the rest of your life locked in a cabinet in the_

_deepest vaults Gringotts has to offer, where NO ONE will_

_hear you scream…_

_P.s. Have a great school year. How is that vivacious Professor Litkin?_

Allain ignored that last part. This was great! His uncle had no clue it was him that took the book! At least, no evidence...This fact was further enforced by his mother's letter.

_Allain,_

_Your uncle is looking for a book. Knowing your_

_father's side of the family, it's at the bottom of a moldy_

_stack __of even more books. Have a good semester! Cheer_

_on the __Hufflepuffs for __me during their match against _

_Slytherin! …What? A mother __can't root for her _

_old house?_

That's right, Allain thought. This Friday was the first Quidditch match of the year; Slytherin -vs.- Hufflepuff. The Slytherins team was 6 boys, and a girl keeper. She was a 7th year, and quite the beast. The Hufflepuffs were 3 boys and 4 girls, but that's all Alain knew about them. He'd have to ask Mishael about them later.

Gah! What was Allain thinking? Quidditch? The Book? What about Melody and the fact they were both WEREWOLVES? Allain stood up abruptly and marched out of the great hall, stuffing his letters in his Satchel. Melody looked concerned, but he didn't slow down. He headed up to the Second Floor Charms classrooms and plotted his next move as if he were playing a very challenging game of chess. Today, while Professor Ringwald continued his lesson on perfecting the Accio charm, he would confront Melody.

Allain was deep in thought when the sudden smell of roses filled his nose.

"Just like real roses!" Mishael shouted excitedly.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ringwald was not in the best of moods. Frankly, he was never really in the best of moods. But there was something particularly unpleasant about his demeanor today. As if he'd taken a big bite out of an apple, only to find half of a worm wriggling inside it. His bushy moustache looked as if several dozen hairs had been torn out, and he couldn't stop mumbling under his breath as students came pouring into the classroom. When he met Allain's eyes, the boy suddenly remembered why he didn't want to come to charms that afternoon.

_I skipped detention!_ Allain suddenly grew panicky, especially when Professor Ringwald signaled for him to approach his desk. For a moment, being a freshly-turned werewolf didn't sound quite so nasty anymore.

"Duprey, I need to speak with you."

"Professor, if it's about detention last night, I-"

"No, stop talking!" Ringwald held up a hand to silence him.

"I just want to tell you…" Ringwald licked his lips, his face turning redder all the while.

"I'm sorry."

"Sir, I didn't mean to-wait…what?" Allain's jaw dropped.

"What didn't you mean to do?" Ringwald raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious.

"Uh…I…forgot…to…" Allain's eyes scanned the room, searching for an explanation.

"Sign a paper at the bottom of the stack with a failing grade…"

"Don't worry, I'll do it. At any rate, what I did last night was very unprofessional."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Why…leaving you all alone for the rest of the evening, of course. I should have been there to supervise. But I let my personal life get in the way."

"OH! Oh. Don't worry, Professor Ringwald…I understand."

"You're a nice boy, Duprey. It's a shame you don't study a bit harder." Ringwald patted Allain's back, giving him the go-ahead to join Melody at the back of the room.

He couldn't believe it. To think, Allain could have simply gone back to his room after Ringwald left last night, with no one the wiser. Instead, he'd foolishly followed Melody into the Forbidden Forest.

This should have eased his temper to a degree. But it didn't. In fact, he only grew more incensed. Though he wouldn't have skipped detention anyway, the fact that he actually _could _have, if he'd wanted, made his blood boil.

Allain's eyes darted towards Melody, who twiddled her thumbs nervously as if she had something on her mind. And then, she slowly met his gaze.

"Allain…"

"What?" Allain snapped. _Going to confess your guilt, mongrel? _He didn't for a moment realize how very Slytherin that thought was.

"You've been staring at me all day as if I've got a rotting possum carcass for a head, yeah. What is your problem?"

"It was a full moon last night. I guess that just drives some people a little…loopy." Allain hissed, so as not to draw the professor's attention.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She blushed furiously.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Your kind go through it all the time, don't they?"

"Well of course we do!" Melody snapped, glaring daggers at him.

"So you admit it, do you?"

"I AM female, Allain!" Just at that moment, she turned away from him and director her full attention back to Ringwald.

Allain couldn't believe it. All women were werewolves? That was imposi-…oh. OH.

Suddenly, he felt like the world's dumbest male. But then…if Melody didn't know what he was talking about, perhaps he'd been completely mistaken? He'd have to gather more evidence before he confronted her again.

The rest of the lesson passed in relative silence. Now that Melody thought him a sexist jerk, she wouldn't even look at Allain, let alone speak to him. And when they left the classroom, she rushed ahead to join Rachel in the hallway.

After a bit of hushed whispering, they both gave Allain a few very nasty looked and shuffled off down the hallway towards Transfiguration.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Allain walked slowly through the hallway, his head hung low. For the first time all year, he was not looking forward to Transfiguration Class. Today they were supposed to partner up and practice configuring a fly into a pebble. (Midges had specifically chosen flies, as they were easy to come by in case a student accidentally blew one to bits, which seemed to be a fairly common event.) With Melody, and, as expected, all the other girls, giving him the cold shoulder, Allain would be forced to partner up with one of the boys. Angus was horrible at Transfiguration, though not as bad as Mishael. Chuck was alright, but he hated Allain...as was apparent when he cast him a look not unsimilar to the ones the girls were currently sporting.

When Allain reached the staircase he was blocked by an group of curious students, increasing in size, who were watching a strange event unfold up ahead.

"What's happening?" Allain asked from behind, unable to see over the heads of the taller students.

"Shhh!" Someone hissed.

"Headmistress, I know it was one of them! They are the only ones smart enough!" a voice said. Allain recognized it as Professor Graves'. "They're the only students who know the reci-"

"Darvin," Headmistress Emerald interrupted. "I understand your concern, but you cannot rally up your smartest students and use Veritaserum on them!"

"What if I call it homework?" Graves asked.

Allain climbed onto the base of a Hunch-backed Witch Statue to see what was happening. It seemed as if Graves was holding a group of 15 or so older kids hostage. Headmistress Emerald had her arms crossed and was looking rather displeased, something Allain would have thought the care-free Headmistress wasn't capable of.

"The answer is no," Emerald replied. "All of you are dismissed…That includes all of you as well."

Without even looking at the curious group, Emerald made them quickly disburse and head to class. That was real magic. The group of students Professor Graves was holding hostage glared at him as they walked away. The first years were making their way down to the First Floor when Allain heard Rachel talking to Melody up ahead.

"That was so bizarre! Just like when Graves held me after class!"

"What did he want?" Melody asked. "Sounded like he wanted to punish those older kids for being smart!"

"He asked me to describe the recipe for Wolfsbane Potion." Rachel replied.

Allain froze on the staircase in shock, which was lucky, as he was about to put his foot on a trick step. Wolfsbane Potion! Did the Professors at Hogwarts already know Melody was a werewolf? Allain hurried back up the stairs and into the corridor just in time to see Emerald and Graves turning the corner ahead. He followed them and listened carefully.

"Headmistress, you and I both know one of those pesky rats broke into my office!" Graves whispered.

"Yes, and if you hadn't kept the hallway so dark that none of our security knights could see, maybe we'd have caught them!" Emerald hissed back.

"Delilah," Graves said sternly, "We need to catch them and find out why they wanted to make the Wolfsbane Potion!"

"Midnight Science Experiment?" Emerald asked.

Graves huffed and marched off, leaving Emerald alone. She shrugged and walked into another corridor, humming a tune.

So Melody had broken into Graves office and stolen the ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion, but wasn't smart enough to actually concoct it. Maybe if she had, Allain wouldn't be in this mess right now!

He thought back to his first night in Detention when he saw Melody running to the girls bathroom. That was after he had first seen Graves and Emerald talking in the Great Hall. So what was she doing _that_ night? The bathroom…

Transfiguration Class has started by now, but Allain had to know what was going on. He made his way up to the corridor where Ringwald's office was located and retraced his footsteps from that night. When he found himself at the forbidden door to the girl's bathroom he looked around slowly, making sure he wasn't about to be in one of those embarrassing moments you hear about in the Daily Prophet. He could just imagine the headline: 'Gender-Confused Son of a Ministry Member Takes First Step to New Life Through Bathroom Door'. Not that he was anything but all-male, however...the Daily Prophet had the habit of sensationalizing anything for a quick buck.

He slipped into the Girl's Bathroom and looked around. It had been 2 weeks, but maybe a clue had survived the House Elves nightly sweep. He looked in every stall and under every single sink, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. . .Except for that strange Snake shaped faucet.

As he finished up his inspection, Outside he could here a gaggle of girls approaching the bathroom entrance. He quickly dove into a stall and locked the door behind him. This was the embarrassing moment he was dreading! How would he explain what he was doing in a girl's bathroom?

The girls entered, laughing and talking about who would win this weekend's Quidditch Match. Allain held his breath as each of them picked a stall.

"This one's locked," one of the girls said, tugging on Allain's stall. He recognized her voice as the leader of the Satanic Cult from the Train! They'd finally come to sacrifice Allain to their nail-polish wearing, bubblegum chewing god!

"This one's taken!" Allain said quickly, in a high, girlish voice, followed by a shrill giggle.

The girl was silent, and Allain knew it was over. No one would believe his girl-y voice was real! And why did he giggle? Allain began to mentally beat himself to a pulp.

"Sorry!" the girl squeaked! Allain could breath again. It worked! The bimbo...

The girls chatted for a bit, finished their business, and left the bathroom. He'd survived! He'd also made up his mind that he didn't want to be this close to a girl again for many a year. Fat lot of trouble, they were.

Allain peered out from under the stall door to make sure everyone had left and darted out. That was when he noticed the grate on the wall behind the door. He peered inside and saw a miniature cauldron and some parchment. He struggled with the grate before finally popping it off. Allain grinned. This was it. This was his clue.

On the parchment, he found the recipe and needed ingredients for Wolfsbane Potion. Melody had been working on the Potion that night. The cauldron was washed clean, but it reeked of Wolfsbane Potion…at least in Allain's mind. He'd never even smelt Wolfsbane before.

Allain tucked the recipe into his pockets and left the bathroom. He'd need it in the future, otherwise he might kill some one, or worse, turn them into a werewolf as well.

As he made his way down to the Great Hall, guilt began to take over. He'd missed his favorite class! Sure, it was worth it, as now he was ready to confront Melody for real, but at the same time…He just hoped Midges liked him as much as he thought she did, so she might let him make up the Lesson this evening.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As Allain rushed to lunch, he almost tripped over his own shoes twice. Discovering this obvious evidence had given new strength to his suspicions, and he was finally going to shove it in Melody's face. Not for one moment did he think most of his anger was fueled by his moderate jealousy of her flying skills. He was just as good, if not better. But the brooms the school had supplied were of _very_ poor quality, he'd told himself over and over again.

Allain entered the Great Hall, only to find his spirits punctured. The usual group was cloistered around an area at the Ravenclaw table: Mishael, Angus, and Rachel. There was a decidedly cold vibe coming off of her, unsurprisingly. So he decided to sit down by Angus, who seemed to be trying his very best not to break into laughter. Instead, he poked Allain in the ribs.

"Smooth move, Allain. Now that you've managed to offend all of female-kind, do you want to say something else?" He grinned, and Mishael smirked as well…though it was more of an empty-headed smirk. He obviously didn't really grasp what was so funny.

"I wasn't talking about _that _when I said it! I meant…I meant..." Allain was at a loss for words. He couldn't let the secret get out. Now that he was a werewolf too, he had to stand up for his own kind…even though it was logically backwards, considering he was gathering evidence to get her expelled and possibly arrested for ruining his life.

"What _did _you mean, Duprey?" Chuck asked, sitting down beside Rachel and raising an eyebrow.

"What business is it of yours, Chuck?" Allain snapped, suddenly becoming defensive. Not that he particularly disliked Chuck, but he wasn't going to sit around acting chipper around a boy who didn't even have the decency to address him by his first name.

"No reason. Just standing up for my fellow students. Defending them from the raging sexist sitting across from me right now." Chuck stated flatly, putting an arm around Rachel, who shrugged him away.

"…If you want to know the truth, I was referring to the…Secret…Society…that Gryffindors have. And they meet on the full moon, then plot to do awful things to Slytherin! I heard it from the head boy myself." Allain realized how stupid this overly-complicated lie was…but he felt it better to be considered a naïve idiot than a misogynistic pig.

The rest of the group, and a good deal of nosy students who overheard suddenly began to titter. And then chuckle. And then they broke into a thunderous roar of laughter. It lasted for quite a good deal of time, before the story was spread, and it grew even louder throughout the Great Hall until just about everyone was laughing at how phenomenally stupid Allain Duprey must be.

By the time they had finished, he was blushing furiously. In fact, it was so intense that he could literally feel the heat coming off of his face as he slunk down in his seat and covered his head with his arms.

Angus softly patted Allain on the back, catching his breath.

"That will be one to tell my grandchildren. Thanks, Allain. Oh, Melody wanted me to tell you she went to flying lessons early, she's still mighty sore at you. But she probably won't be after she finds out about the mix-up." Angus bit his bottom lip, and Allain, rather than respond…decided it best to shove his mouth full of cucumber sandwiches.

By the time they had left the Great Hall, with full bellies and congenial attitudes, Allain was only grateful that the sacrifice of his dignity had seemed to relieve the venomous hatred directed at him by all of the girls. Now that he'd had plenty of time to think, he even had a plan to catch Melody in the act. Of course, it would take a good deal of plotting out the school so he wouldn't get caught sneaking out later. But he figured he had plenty of time to do that, since it was at least…

Allain counted on his fingers. 28 days until the next full moon…

Flying Lessons were a breeze. At first. Elleon had let out the slack of Allain's rope to about 12 feet, which was a major improvement. It was almost exciting! Granted, the Transfiguration statue stuck well to the far right of the courtyard under the other students, who all seemed quite convinced getting anywhere near Allain's flying would mean certain death. He didn't want to believe it, but their suspicions were quite well-founded, given his past history. Even Allain's parents would agree.

All Allain needed to know was what time exactly at the end of the month Melody would sneak out of the Gryffindor dorm to go to the bathroom and make the potion. He couldn't very well hide in the bathroom waiting for her for the rest of the night. As he pondered this, he dodged to the side as a raven came sailing towards him and smacked into the back of his broom, sending him spiraling to the ground. Elleon looked exceedingly nervous, but he'd only gotten a few cuts and bruises.

The real trouble came when Allain stood up and began to dust off his robes. It hit quite suddenly. An intense, flesh-crawling pain that seemed to eat into his very bones. Collapsing to the ground, Allain let out a deep moan as he curled into a fetal position. He had never felt anything so terrible in his life, not even when he'd been attacked by a flock of indignant owls as a little kid.

And nobody would have given him any mind, if not for Melody's keen eye. She was swirling quickly around the others in a figure-eight formation when she spotted him. It was not long before she was hopping off the broom and rushing to Allain's side.

"Are you okay?" She cried, kneeling down and pulling his broom from his grasp. He'd been holding onto it so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Soon, Elleon herself came shuffling over, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Did you break your leg?" She squawked, worriedly. The boy was really too much trouble for one instructor to handle.

"N-no. P-p-pain!" Allain straightened out on the ground, rolling away from Melody.

"Elleon, he's got to go to the infirmary. I'll take him."

"But practice isn't over yet!" Elleon put a hand to her chest, unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry, I'll come back to make up for it later. We'll only be a moment. He _really _needs help!"

Elleon bit her bottom lip and stared down at Allain, calculating whether or not letting him leave with the best student in her class was a good idea.

"If I take him, that means he probably won't be back for the rest of the hour. And you'll be able to pay attention to the rest of us." Melody appealed to Elleon's reason, which was really the best method.

In no time, Allain was being drug across the courtyard and into the building. Why wouldn't this pain go away? Why was Melody helping him?

_Of course…_Allain suddenly realized. She'd probably gone through the same thing. So it meant this could only be part of being a werewolf! But…but if the nurse saw him, she'd certainly be able to figure out his symptoms. He had to think of an escape plan. But there wasn't much he could do, struggling through the hallways and barely able to carry himself.

By the time they'd reached the infirmary, Allain was blinking back tears.

"I'm going to leave you with Mrs. Cutler, Allain. Are you going to be all right?" Melody asked, helping Allain onto a bed.

"Yes. I will…" He nodded quickly, trying to wave her away so he could run off before the nurse saw him. But it was too late, as she'd already appeared behind them like a great black vulture. She was an imposing figure, with her black monobrow and strict black bun. Her nails were more like claws, and her eyes were absolutely startling.

"You have patient? Go away, girl." Mrs. Cutler waved Melody from the room. She gave Allain one last apologetic look, almost as if she didn't want to leave. Oh, but Allain knew why. She was pretending to be sorry she did this to him. So maybe she knew he knew? And he now he knew she knew he knew. But did she know he knew she knew-Allain became dizzy. He was in too much pain to even think straight.

"You have fever?" Mrs. Cutler put a hand on Allain's head and shoved him back.

"Er…no. I fell off the broom..and.." Allain bit back a groan.

"Oh, fall off broom then? Well, I have cure. I be back." Mrs. Cutler rushed away, swooping out of the room much as she'd entered. He hoped her 'treatment' for his 'fall' wasn't as disturbing as her, or he'd probably be the first student casualty at Hogwarts in decades…


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

After a series of tests and unorthodox curing methods, Mrs. Cutler dismissed Allain from the Hospital Wing. He was so unbelievably happy to get out of there, it was as if it were Christmas Morning! Mrs. Cutler was, with no doubt in Allain's mind, the WORST witch in the entire world.

'How about a spell to mend broken bones?' 'Nah! Let me just bang them back together with a Hammer.' 'A Magic Hammer?' 'Nope. Now, let's take care of those cramps!' 'Maybe a potion?' 'Nope! This wrench should do the trick!' Allain had never suffered that much pain in his life, even at a Muggle's Hospital!

She kept asking "Feeling better?" after each procedure, but with a disinterested tone. He, of course, would scream back, "No!" Mrs. Cutler would simply bite her lip nervously, and began another treatment! After the 5th "Feeling Better?" Allain finally said, "Yes!" Mrs. Cutler's long frog-like mouth spread into a hideous grin and she began doing a little jig, which didn't suit such a stoic woman at all.

"And THAT is why I am the Nurse here at Hogwarts!" she beamed, "I have the magic touch when it comes to healing the youth! Don't I?" to which Allain had to nod quickly, lest she decide he might not be feeling well enough yet.

Allain wished he had been "healed" earlier though, as he had missed the rest of his classes for the day. In fact, by the time he made it to the Great Hall for dinner, only a few students were left. The rest were in their common rooms readying for bed, or doing homework. None of his friends were present either. Allain ate quietly, alone.

When he finished eating his Roast Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie, he made his way towards the Slytherin Tower, dragging his feet along the way. Sitting at the entrance reading a book was Melody. As he grew closer, she looked up and smiled.

"You're alright!" she grinned, "I was worried!"

She put her book down and met him half way, hugging him tightly. Allain winced as pain filled his body. Melody felt this, and moved away quickly.

"Sorry! Must still be in pain, yea?"

"Mrs. Cutler has a way with…" Allain stumbled, "Well, a way."

Melody giggled, and returned to her book bag. She pulled out a parchment with the Homework he had missed in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"These are the essays due on Friday." she explained before giving Allain a quizzical look, "Where were you in Transfiguration anyway?"

Allain took the parchment and looked up at Melody. This was his chance. They were alone, and, after his tortu-...healing today, he was just annoyed enough to finally snap.

"I know, Melody," he said, "I know everything."

Melody paused for a moment, before giggling and asking "What are you talking about, silly?"

"You! I saw you sneak out. I followed you," Allain pressed forward, "I _saw_ you!"

Again, Melody paused, but this time for a much longer period. Her smile slowly dropped and became a frown.

"If you tell…" she began, not meeting his eyes, "You'll get the both of us in trouble. If anyone ever finds out sh-"

"You deserve it!" Allain interrupted, anger flooding into him. And she DID deserve it! For the rest of his life, Allain was going to be plagued with this disease! This horrible life-changing sickness! "You've ruined my life!"

Melody looked up angrily and shocked. Slowly she whispered back, "Ruined your life?"

"Yes!" Allain shouted. "You ruined it! My future! My goals! The list goes on and on! You ruined everything!"

"You're a jerk, Allain! And an Idiot!" Melody screamed, tears filling her eyes, "This is why I didn't tell you! I knew you'd be upset! But, to go that far over it?"

Allain would have shouted something back, but before he could, Melody pushed passed him. Now red in the face, he marched into the Tower and up to the Trap Door Portrait. He threw his nightgown on, and slammed into bed, without saying a word to Angus or Rupert, who were playing Chess in the Common Room. He laid awake in bed for hours, all the thoughts running through his head.

One thought echoed through his mind the loudest though; He and Melody were done being friends. He wasn't even sure if they ever _had_ been in the first place.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Where the previous mornings may have lacked in joy, Allain's awakening on Thursday was pure bliss. Trapped in the state of awareness somewhere between waking and dream, when the mind plays tricks and lacks knowledge of past events, he felt as if he was truly at peace with the world. With one leg twisted in his dark green sheets, and an arm slung over his incredibly soft pillow, Allain stared at the ceiling happily.

He'd dreamt he was the world's greatest Quidditch player, who had become a metamorphmagus and used this very ability to give himself an edge on the broom. He was so good, in fact, that his team let him switch between positions whenever he felt like. As a seeker, he would change into a cheetah, and set records for fastest snitch-catching, or when he was a beater, he would become a gorilla and practically destroy both bat and ball in one stroke.

But then reality flooded back to Allain, and he remembered that the only shape-shifting he would likely ever do would involve becoming a slavering wolf on the full moon (likely with very bad breath, if Melody was anything to judge by the other night.)

Still, even if his blissful ignorance of the previous few minutes was wiped away, he did feel astonishingly healthy. Perhaps Cutler wasn't such a bad nurse after all. He felt like he could run a mile without taking a single breath, or take on a herd of centaurs single-handedly…provided they didn't kick him in the head, which he was fairly certain would still hurt.

Jolting up in bed, he surveyed the other boys. They were still fast asleep. He was up about five minutes earlier than usual, which just went to show how absolutely grand Allain was feeling.

And of course he just had to share this with everyone else. And so, with amazing precision, he managed to beam every single one of his fellow room-mates on the head with a pillow. Angus was the only one who seemed to find this funny. The others wouldn't stop cursing at him until they had reached the Great Hall for breakfast.

Allain's eyes skimmed over the Ravenclaw table, where Melody, Britanny, Mishael, Rachel, and Chuck were huddled together chatting up a storm. Very deliberately, he turned his head towards the Slytherin and marched over. Angus seemed to be very confused, and stood in the doorway for a few moments before deciding to join Allain.

As they took their seats, they both got a few good pats on the back by the other Slytherins.

"Knew you'd come over to our side, boys! Can't trust those mudbloods and mixed bloods, and whatever else they are. Glad you found out early, before they got a chance to get their filth on you!" Rufus grinned, shoving a gigantic spoonful of fried eggs and ketchup into his craw.

Angus slunk down beside Allain, reaching for a salt mill.

"What're we sitting over here for?" He whispered, not wanting to alert the others that he didn't quite appreciate their large-nosed presence.

"Melody and I had a fight. I don't want to look at her, talk to her, or even be near her any more. As far as I'm concerned, she can shove her head in a bucket of pig slop." Allain grumbled, glaring down at his empty plate. Something seemed to be very wrong. Very wrong indeed. It began with a soft ringing in his ears, as if he'd just been listening to incredibly loud music for a long period of time. Allain shook his head, as if to dislodge something, but nothing changed much. The ringing was beginning to fade, but an all together different sensation developed.

It was like he'd grabbed the volume knob on an old muggle stereo, and turned it from 1 to 100 in a split instant. Allain could hear mouths chewing, people chattering, flies buzzing, forks hitting plates, water dribbling down chins like babbling brooks. He couldn't take it!

Slamming his hands over his ears, Allain squinted his eyes as if he could block it all out. But no such luck.

Soon Angus was shaking him, and the Karen girl was blubbering about the 'vicious Gryffindor who'd cursed her shining knight'…whatever that meant.

"Allain! What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG?" Angus shouted, wrenching one of his hands away from an ear. Shouting was just about the worst thing in the world Angus could have done, because now Allain had a splitting headache.

_Okay, calm down. Deep breaths. This must be part of the werewolf thing. Sharper hearing. You've just got to tune some out. Concentrate! Concentrate…_

Allain looked up, and in an instant…everything was back to normal. Nervously, he tried listening in on Melody and the group across the room. Suddenly, their voices rang as clear as Christmas bells.

"You not in like with grumpy boy anymore?" Mishael's voice questioned.

"He's just a jerk. I don't know what's wrong with him…I'd rather not talk about it." That was Melody, of course.

Taking a deep breath, Allain focused on pushing the sound of their voices away, and they began to fade again.

"Allain, snap out of it!" Angus slapped Allain across the cheek. That was about the worst thing you could do to a newly-turned werewolf. Allain snapped to attention and glared at Angus, his eyes bloodshot.

"Don't. Do. That. Again." He growled, reaching for a stack of pancakes threateningly…which is quite an accomplishment, considering the very un-threatening nature of breakfast items.

"Sorry, man. I was just worried…" Angus eased away, startled.

"No, it was my fault. I was dazed…had the stares." Allain shook his head, astonished that he had reacted so violently.

"It's okay, I understand." Karen interrupted, reaching over to pat Allain's shoulder.

"She broke your heart, didn't she?" The girl whispered, almost tearing up. Allain didn't really respond. In fact, he ignored her. She was just a little too creepy for him.

The ongoing couple of weeks went on, much the same. Allain discovered a whole slough of information. Where he had preferred his hamburgers well-done before, they had become quite tasty when they were rare. He could concentrate in classes much better, his turns in flying lessons would have been sharper had he not been downgraded back to 3-feet, and each morning Allain found himself waking up earlier and earlier. The change in him was so dramatic, that even the headmistress took notice. He knew that for a fact, because he listened in on a conversation with Professor Ringwald at one point and heard her.

"That young man, the Slytherin boy who caused the accident earlier this year…"

"Ah, yes. Duprey. Very bright lad, if somewhat moody. Reminds me of myself when I was a bit younger…and a few pounds lighter." Ringwald patted his belly, chuckling.

"You know, at first I thought I would have to take him aside and advise counseling. I couldn't help noticing how angry he always seemed when I passed him in the hallways. I notice these things, you understand. After that one young lady nearly blew up St. Mungos after graduating, I felt it was my duty to pay attention to the unhappier students, make sure the Dark Arts weren't in their future."

"Yes, yes. We _all _remember Mildred. She had abusive parents, I seem to remember."

"Well, at any rate…he seems much improved. Perky, even."

"Oh, I agree. Not nearly as grumpy as he was the first day of class. He used to slump constantly, and frown whenever I asked him a question. Now it's as if his spine were replaced with a steel rod, and someone slipped a bit of cheer elixir in his breakfast."

"I do hope Cutler hasn't been experimenting with the students again…"

After that, Allain had lost interest in their conversation. People tend to lose interest in what others are discussing, if the topic strays from themselves. But now that he thought about it, they did have a point. Granted…his life was still ruined, he would never have a career, his family and the rest of the wizarding world would shun him once they found out about his horrible curse…it wasn't all bad.

But his nerves began to bother him again, as the 29th approached. It was only a few days before his first transformation. And he still didn't have any clue on what he should do.

And that's when it hit him. _The Wolfsbane potion! _He had the ingredients and directions, didn't he? Obviously, Melody had stolen the ingredients for it before. So why couldn't Allain? It wouldn't be too difficult, sneaking into Professor Graves' office and doing a little midnight shopping. He'd slip into the girls' bathroom, since it was closest, brew the potion…and bottom's up! It was so simple, a toddler could do it.

But then, the 28th arrived…


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Why? Why did Allain wait until the very last minute to put his plan into action? It wasn't like he COULDN'T do it! With his new sharpened senses, his speed, and (for some reason) his dashing good looks, Allain was on his way to becoming the next double oh…what do the muggles call that spy, again? Meh, it wasn't very important anyway. What WAS important, was the fact that Allain had clearer vision, more sensitive hearing, and finally, his new ability to detect even the tiniest of scents took full advantage of the capabilities of his massive nose.

Allain had less then 4 hours to steal the ingredients from Graves office, and successfully brew the Wolfsbane Potion. Sure, he wasn't that great in Potions. Or Charms. Or Defense Against the Dark Arts. Or Flying. But he was good at Transfiguration (or would be), and SURELY that was enough to create one of the most difficult potions ever. How hard could it really be? Just some boiling and mixing in a few bits of dried stuff. Piece of cake, really. Then again, it was that very lack of respect for potions that nearly lost him his ears and hair the previous week.

Allain waited until the other boys had all gone to bed, then snuck silently out of the room. He found that when he focused really hard, he could hear their heartbeats deep within their bodies. Once they had slowed, he knew they were sound asleep. When he reached the common room, he saw a prefect girl reading a book on the emerald couch in front of the fireplace. She was facing away from Allain and the exit to the Slytherin Tower, so all he had to do was sneak past her.

He did. Quite quickly and graceful too for an 11-year old boy. This cat-like...or really, 'wolf-like' grace continued as he swiftly made his way down into the dungeons. On the 4th floor he found himself in a hallway with Suits of Armor Security Guards on both sides. After surveying the area, he decided to swing from the Ravenclaw Drapery to the Chandelier, then to the Gryffindor Drapery. Seeing the red and gold brought a flash of Melody into his mind. Allain steadied himself, and leapt!

The funny thing about becoming a werewolf is, though you feel stronger, you aren't, unless specifically in werewolf form. Sure, Allain may have grabbed on to the end of the Sapphire Drapery, but he wasn't strong enough to hold his weight. He fell with a crash, alerting the Armor, causing them to shriek and charge towards Allain.

Thinking fast, he dodged two and hopped over another as it tried to crumple on top of him with a great clanging noise. Within moments, Allain was on the other side of the school. His heart was pounding, and adrenaline was rushing through his system faster than an alcoholic to the liquor store on pay day. He focused his ears to the corridor and heard a Prefect asking what was going on. Apparently one of the suits had busted, as Allain heard a curt 'Repairo' charm recited by the (more than a little) agitated prefect.

Finally arriving at Grave's office, Allain used the needle he had successfully transformed into a match to unlock the door, and slipped inside. He found everything he needed in one of the shelves near the back, as that was where they kept the important stuff.

Slipping back out and locking the door behind him, Allain was quite pleased with himself. Yes, he messed up with the Suits of Armor, but did he get caught? No! Allain was a happy camper…thief…whatever. Maybe his new nickname would be 'The Great Transfiguring Robin Hood'.

"HEY YOU!" Some one shouted from down the hall. Allain's heart dropped and he spun around to face the owner of the voice.

Allain could see Graves at the end of the hall. He looked just as sour as usual, but for once it wasn't directed at a Student, but a house elf.

"YOU MUST BE NEW! I LIKE MY CAULDRONS CLEANED WITH BEAVER WAX! I'LL REPORT THIS TO THE HEADMISTRESS IF YOU SCREW UP AGAIN!" He was shouting over the small House Elf, waving a sock in it's face threateningly.

Allain would have felt sorry for it, but he was only 3 hours away from becoming a monster that was quite possibly far worse then Graves! He charged up a flight of stairs, down a corridor, and into the girls bathroom. Allain could see why this was such a prime illegal potion making location. The moon reflected off the mirrors, providing almost as much illumination as daylight!

Allain pulled out his collapsable cauldron, and the recipe from his bag. He gulped as he read the first line.

"Bring 16oz of water to a boil."

He groaned. He just knew this was going to be impossi-oh, wait. That wasn't too hard...

An hour later, Allain square sat in front of his cauldron. It was filled to the brim with a dark, dark, DARK green, thick, bubbling, Wolfsbane Potion.

"I…I did it!" Allain laughed, completely in shock. "I DID IT!" He raised his arms in the air, shaking his fists in triumph.

As he brought his arms down, he knocked the ladle, giving the potion one too many stirs. It began to bubble even more, until it spilled over. Allain scooted back as the potion began to eat away at the stone floor. Not wanting to burn a hole in the stones, he "Wingardium Leviosa'd" the Cauldron to the toilet and quickly dumped it in!

It was in the following moment that time seemed to freeze. Flecks of dust motes dangled in the air like faded white stars. The moonlight flooding into the bathroom reflected solidly upon the walls. Allain's life flashed before his eyes...and then...the toilet exploded.

He didn't need to think twice about it, He ran out of there as fast as his legs would carry him!

So that was it. Allain had failed, quite miserably. Tonight he would become a Werewolf, and lose complete control of his body and mind. His humanity would be forever changed, even if he somehow avoided harming a single fly. No one knew what he was, and no one could help him. His anger at Melody, and his fear of discovery seemed to vanish at that moment, and only shocked silence remained. Instead of returning to the Common Room, he made his way slowly and sadly to the Secret Passage on the 5th floor. He reached out and scratched behind the hideous gargoyles ear. It let out a deep giggle, and hopped to the right. Allain made his way down the flight of stairs, and out onto the grounds. Into the woods he went. It was dangerously close to midnight...

Allain, who had felt so great the past few weeks, now felt the shock fade away to be replaced with an altogether different sort of fear. Fear of his change...of the unknown. He was scared, and he…wanted his mommy. There was no point in keeping up pretenses. He wasn't a man...he was still a little boy. And Allain _really _wanted his mommy!

The moonlight shined over him, bathed him, reflecting off his pale skin. He looked up at his new master, the moon, with tears in his eyes. From a distance it must have looked like he was howling at it.

Everything rushed together as intense heat filled his body. It was as if someone had lit every inch of him on fire. Then unimaginable, but altogether real, and intense pain. His skin felt as if it was being stripped slowly from his bones; his spine gave a great jerk as if it was being torn in half, and a new one was replacing it. Then the itching began, like thousands of angry red fire ants crawling all over his body...

And after that…

…everything went dark.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Light filtered through the oddly-colored leaves of the over-hanging branches as if it was glaring through a stained glass window. Patterns of green and brown were cast upon Allain's body, which was somewhat less pale than it had been prior to the beginning of the school year. As for the newly-created werewolf, he was blissfully unaware of his condition, as he had not quite awoken from his slumber yet.

His first change had been somewhat more unpleasant than he had believed it would be. Generally when people spoke about those afflicted by 'the curse', they didn't describe the crippling pain involved in the transformation from man to beast.

But, as much as his subconscious may have liked, Allain could not recline on the carpet of old pecan shells and yellowing grass forever. Sooner or later, he had to wake up…and when it happened, he was greeted with a weariness he had never known.

"Son of a…" Allain croaked, slowly creaking his eyelids open. He was thirsty, hungry, exhausted, and his mouth tasted faintly of squirrel…which was odd, considering the fact that he hadn't been aware he knew what squirrel tasted like.

Flashes of images filled his head. The screech of a rodent, the crunch of bones, the rustle of grass, the fact that rolling around in wet grass had resulted in giving himself a pungent odor of drenched dog.

"Oh god…" He clenched his eyes tightly, trying to clear his head. No wonder Melody hadn't told her about this…it sucked!

Usually when people thought of werewolves, they thought of vicious creatures hungry for human flesh and howling at the moon…not frolicking in forests and terrifying the squirrel population.

With that in mind, Allain was almost dismissive of his nude state. But that didn't last long, as he hadn't expected to find himself in his birthday suit that morning, for the world to see. A logical person would have been aware of the possibility, but his mind over the last month had been otherwise occupied.

_HOW THE HELL WAS HE GOING TO GET BACK INTO THE COMMON ROOM! _It was one thing to sneak around school pulling pranks on students and landing yourself in detention, it was a completely different matter to be stripped of robes and skivvies in the process!

Allain ran a hand through his ruffled hair, clearing it of twigs and debris in the process. Okay, he could do this. It would just take a bit of craftiness. He surveyed his surroundings and genius struck...Mud and Leaf Underwear! ( It was his only option. )

With that in mind, he set to work on this unusual craft project. If his mother could see him now, she probably wouldn't be so proud of her baby boy. He didn't doubt that she and his father had done a bit of their own mischief-making in school, but this was ridiculous!

No one ever said fig leaves just stuck onto the skin without effort, thanks to the magic of nature's censorship. And oak leaves were quite another matter. They were small, most of them crumbling into dirt, and not to mention how uncomfortable it was to gather clumps of mud and slap them onto his flesh without being greeted by the itch of sharp rocks and broken sticks.

But, after much suffering, Allain had managed to do it. Even if he did look like the missing link, nobody could fault him for not trying. And it wasn't as if he was going for a magic fashion degree…

Of course, creating organic undies was one matter. Sneaking over to the secret entrance with the constant feeling that someone was watching him through a tower window was quite another. He could almost feel the invisible eyes/tongues roaming over him. It was almost as uncomfortable as his current ensemble.

But thanks to perseverance and spirit, he reached the secret entrance. Yet somehow, lady luck's sense of humor seemed to be in fit form…because before he could sneak past the goblin statue, a jolt of pain was sent rattling through his leg. Kneeling down, Allain found a very sharp hair-pin with sparkling daisies poking into his foot. Tearing it out, he released a stream of curses before returning to the task at hand…namely, sneaking.

Through some manner of miracle, nobody spotted him in the halls…except for a shuffling house elf, rushing to light a fire somewhere or polish something (Allain didn't much care…he thought house elves were creepy.)

Though he could only imagine what the suits of armor might be whispering amongst themselves when he snuck past them. Sure, they might just be magically animated…but they probably got bored with the every day activity of students rushing to class. A nude boy in a leaf-mud motif was something a little rarer.

And of course the paintings would have all communicated amongst each other about this hilarious sight, and this was only confirmed as Allain passed a few frames and noticed large groups gathering to rush into the next portrait with eyes glued onto him.

"Nicccce kneesssss…" A pink snake in a crib whispered, licking it's eyeball and shaking it's baby rattle.

"Oh, I do declare! This gives me the vapors…" A southern belle tittered, waving her fan and flashing her ridiculously long eyelashes. Allain couldn't honestly say he thought any of the portraits were particularly artistic…certainly unique, though.

By the time he'd reached the common room and had a thorough bath, breakfast was half over. And as he rushed to the great hall, shuffling in one of his lesser-worn robes, his ears were greeted by a pathetic wail near the entrance. Huddled in a group were several feminine-looking Ravenclaw boys, who had to all be at least fourth years.

"Darling, what's wrong?" One of them chirped, brushing a hand through his long blonde locks and flipping his salmon pink scarf to the side. Wasn't that against the dress code?

"Oh, it's just awful! Absolutely terrible…" The middle boy moaned, giving another loud wail and sobbing into his hands.

"His girlfriend, Bella Cullen, didn't meet him in their little secret passage last night. She's obviously decided to break it off…" A catty boy intoned, flipping his slightly more flamboyant hot pink scarf to the opposite side that the first boy had flipped his.

"That's just terrible…oh, I know! Let's have a make-over party tonight…" The salmon pink-scarved boy clapped his hands together. The miserable single boy didn't respond, he simply continued to moan and began to beat his chest dramatically.

_Secret passage? _Allain rushed by the group, reaching into his pocket to pull out the hair-pin he'd stepped on earlier. Had he…?

Allain gulped, shaking his head and shoving the pin back into his pocket. No, he couldn't have. He was outside at the time…

Because Allain hadn't been in the common room that morning, or gone to the Great Hall with the rest of the house, Angus had taken a seat with the 'group' Allain had formerly associated with. He didn't want to feel jealous that Melody was getting all of the attention, considering his previous resolution to never talk to her again…but he did anyway, because pre-teens and teens are very fickle.

Angus did, however, join Allain in Potions class. Not that it much mattered, as Professor Graves spent the entire period lecturing the students with a vengeance.

"THEFT…IS GROUNDS FOR EXPULSION!" He roared, slamming a hand on his desk and giving each and every one of them a piercing look. Allain could swear it lingered on him a little longer than everyone else…but how was that possible? Graves couldn't know…

"And with that being said, I can only regret that I have been restricted from making any more Veritaserum this semester. So, instead I shall take a page from a previous professor's book…and poison each of you at unexpected periods, and can only hope that you'll be able to figure out the antidote yourself. If not…" A cure twinkle entered his gaze, and his mouth twitched with an equally vindictive smile.

"I'm sure you would all _love _to be experimental lab rats for Mrs. Cutler…though I can't guarantee she'll find a cure in time." With that, he folded his hands and took a seat at his desk…staring at them for the next half hour, until the class had ended. It would seem another experiment with a Wolfsbane potion would be out of the question. Somehow, Allain doubted he'd find Graves' office unattended at any point ever again…


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Professor Litkin welcomed the First Years into the Herbology Green House very quickly that morning, obviously excited about something. Her mood was so vastly different from Professor Graves', Allain found he barely had a chance to think about the girl he had most likely mangled horribly last night.

"Good Morning class!" Litkin squealed, "I've got quite the project for you all! A certain little plant started it's growth yesterday, as it does every year. Does anyone know it's name?"

A bald Hufflepuff boy named Daniel Larson, raised his hand, but Litkin ignored him.

"Didn't think so!" Litkin beamed. She waved her wand, and 28 little pots floated out of the back office. The pots hovered at varying levels, as if they were dancing through the air, and finally landed with a thud on the hard work tables in front of each First Year. Allain looked from his pot, to the ones around him, confused. There was only dirt in them.

"These are called Sorceror's Globes! At the very bottom of your pots, they have just begun to sprout…Sprout, wasn't she a Professor here once? Never mind that. My dear students, it is your Homework for the next 2 months to keep these babies alive! And if not..." She grew solemn. "There could be terrible consequences..."

A skittish-looking Gryffindor girl raised her hand. "P...professor, what do you mean by that?" She looked absolutely terrified.

"Oh, nothing to worry your heads over. Just a bad grade!" Professor Litkin chuckled, waving the girl's question away.

"But just remember, like I said...they are only babies...and will need lots of care, and attention." She continued, running a hand through her hair.

Babies? Allain blinked. Was he in a Middle School Health Class? Allain didn't have time for this!

Over the next hour and a half, Litkin explained the proper watering techniques, and the amount of grounded beetle legs to include in the fertilizer. While not difficult sounding, it did seem like an annoying babysitting job. Maybe Litkin was just using the first years? Either way, Allain probably wasn't going to enjoy this.

After the seemingly endless period, Allain and Angus made their ways to the Great Hall for lunch. It was Thursday, which meant there'd be plenty of meatloaf! Together they sat, but together in conversation they were not. Allain, though focusing very hard on Angus' face, was actually paying more attention to the whispers going on at the Staff table.

"Eat your turkey loaf, Headmistress. You love it!" Professor Vale, the History of Magic Professor, was persisting.

"How can I eat when a student is missing?" Emerald asked.

"I'm sure she's just stuck in a secret passage somewhere. Remember Jones' third year?" Professor Frump chuckled.

"You're right. I'll give her another day to turn up…" Emerald sighed.

"She never was good at Potions," huffed Graves, "but her boyfriend's always been pretty good. I wonder if.."

"Darvis, there is NOT, and I repeat...NOT a werewolf attending Hogwarts!" Emerald hissed back, "Besides, Martinus is only a 4th year. There is no way he could create the Wolfsbane Potion at that age."

"If you won't figure out who and why, I will!" Graves threatened and pushed himself away from the table, storming out of the Great Hall in a huff. Allain could hear Emerald holding back tears...which was really saying something, considering he hadn't known such an action had a sound prior to becoming a werewolf.

"One more day. I'll give her one more day. If she doesn't show up, I'll call the ministry." Emerald told the other Professors, repeating herself. It was obvious that she wasn't very confident in her own decision.

"Check it out!" Angus shouted. Allain came out of his trance and looked in horror as Angus poured his pot out and began examining the small bulbous seed. A tiny purple root was popping out. Allain was pretty sure Angus was going to fail this project, especially when he began to poke at it with his fork.

"So, did you bring anything with you for the Halloween Party?" Allain heard Rupert ask Blake and Roy.

Every year there was a Halloween Party in the Great Hall. First Years who were lucky enough to have older siblings knew about it, but the Muggle Borns had no idea. Most just came as other house students, borrowing robes and ties from their friends. Allain had never liked Halloween, and put it out of his mind completely. Angus, on the other hand, practically peed himself upon hearing this question.

"My mom made me an amazing centaur costume!" he shouted. Blake gave him a dirty look. "The hind legs are charmed to move with my real legs! It's so cool!"

"Were we talking to you?" Blake glared. Apparently he wasn't very fond of Angus anymore.

"No, but I just had to tell you guys! It's such a great costume!" Angus beamed.

"I'm going as a Dementor. Dyed the sheets myself!" Rupert smiled. He was, with no doubt in Allain's mind, the dumbest of the Slytherins.

"I'm going as myself…aged 100 years!" Roy grinned.

"Allain? What are you going as?" Angus said, now turning to him.

"I…" Allain wasn't sure how to break it to Angus that he didn't like Halloween. Maybe he should just go as a werewolf. Oh wait, not a full moon that night. "Halloween isn't really my scene..."

Angus' jaw dropped. "What?"

"It's more of a Muggle thing, don't you think? Horribly offensive too, if you ask me..." Allain continued.

"No it isn't! It's the greatest holiday ever! Even better then Christmas!" Angus shouted. Allain thought Angus was taking it a little far.

"If you don't go tomorrow night, I'll hate you forever." Angus said flatly. He WAS taking this too far.

By the time the school day had ended, Angus has convinced Allain that their friendship was worth a Halloween Party. But what was he going to be? A Gryffindor? No, no, they all hated him now. No chance he'd ever get one of them to let him borrow a robe. Maybe it was time to put his Transfiguration Spell Casting to work! He'd transfigure his head into a pumpkin and be a scarecrow! Or maybe transfigure his ears into bunny ears and be a rabbit! Either way, he knew exactly where to look for an appropriate spell. His little red book.

Up in Slytherin Tower he found it tucked away between his mattress'. He opened it and began reading through. All the spells he found were extremely difficult. Maybe he could just simplify them? Gah who was he kidding. This was useless. He should stop looking now and just go as the Caretaker. Borrow a broom, wear an old robe…but for some reason, Allain couldn't put the book down. It had become so interesting all of a sudden. Every word had Allain on the edge of his seat. Allain forgot about everything and had one goal. Finish this book. He'd read all night if he had to. This was the best book ever!


End file.
